A Second Run
by Dragonighta-93
Summary: Sena is a perfectly normal,if shy,young girl.Until one day she wakes up from a dream: a dream where she was male,and fast,and went by the name Eyeshield 21.But Sena isn't even in High School yet.It was just a dream...right? FemSena time travel sort of
1. A Strange Dream

**Disclaimer: The Eyeshield 21 manga and anime series do not belong to me**

'Thoughts'

"Speech"

Chapter 1: A Strange Dream

"_Wait! This guy is..."_

"_Kukuku, none of you trashes is able to touch that speed..."_

"_Kekeke, the name of this guy.."_

"_The title of the best runner of this era..."_

_The grin of a Devil Bat. YA – HA! _

"_Eyeshield 21!"_

_**BEEP!**_

"Gah!"

With the sudden blaring of an alarm clock, one Sena Kobayakawa rolled out of bed onto the floor in a huddle of blankets and shock. Wide brown eyes appeared from underneath a blue sheet and stared into space. What the? He was supposed to be at Enma university playing his first match of the term. Hiruma-san, Musashi-san, Shin-san, everybody had come to watch him. He was finally able to play with Monta-kun and Kurita-kun again after going to Notre Dame, Riku-niisan, Kotaro-kun, Mizumachi-kun and Unsui-kun were also on his time and he was just about to...

Brown eyes finally caught sight of a mirror, of the figure sprawled across the bedroom floor...the definitely feminine figure. Long brown locks, messy from sleep fell down her back and face, soft full lips were pulled back in an expression of horror as eyes caught sight of two fairly noticeable bumps on his...her torso. This was not the body of an 18 year old male running back this was the body of a teenage girl.

"What the-!"

"Sena-chan, what's the matter? We heard a bump, are you hurt?"

The concerned voice of Mihae Kobayakawa pierced through the confusion, and Sena blinked before stuttering out:

"N-N-No K-Kaa-chan, I-I just fell out of bed. T-The alarm shocked me, that's all."

There was a slight pause and then.

"OK, well breakfast in 10 minutes."

"I-I'll b-be down soon." Two shaking hands reached up to the now empty bed and she pushed herself off the floor, back now to the mirror. She flexed her fingers, her hands were soft, slim, not the stronger, slightly worn hands that had carried an American football over the goal line countless of times. What had she been thinking?

Her name was Sena Kobayakawa and she was a 14 year old middle school student who had never joined a single club in her life. Sure she could run fast but that was only because of Riku-niisan. It had just been a weird dream, that was all.

She looked back at the mirror. She was short and slim, her hair dropped to just above her waist when it was let down, her eyes were slightly too big for her face and often wide in shock, surprise, or fear. Her body was still pretty straight and flat though lately she had started to get growing pains, her mum had said she was a late bloomer too so... She actually caught herself blushing thinking about her own body.

"Stop being silly. It was just a dream. You've been a girl for your whole life."

It was a dream full of scary dream-people who wanted to pin her to the ground. She'd probably forget it in tow minutes like with a normal dream.

Still...she could see them all clearly; team-mates, rivals, friends of this boy-Sena. She could picture all of their faces: Hiruma, Kurita, Monta, Jumonji, Kuroki, Togano, Yukimitsu, Komusubi, Taki, Musashi, Suzuna, and Doburoku-sensei. The Deimon Devil Bats. Others too appeared in her head: Shin, Sakuraba, Akaba, Yamato, Taka, Agon, Unsui, Ikkyu, Panther, Kakei, Koutaro, Mizumachi, Marco, Gaou,Kid, Tetsuma, and others. Faces _she _had never seen before, but faces she knew and could name, faces, people that _he_ had met.

This was ridiculous, they probably weren't even real...yet she had seen Mamori-neechan and Riku-niisan there. She had run against Riku-niisan and he...she had won.

That feeling, that triumph and others like it, she could almost taste it. She could remember how strong _he_ had felt, she could remember the freedom, the excitement of playing against the best of Japan. The way her..his legs would feel, straining to the very edge of their endurance and speed so she could just get out of reach, just get past them. The pain of the death march, the glory of the tournament win, the Christmas bowl, and the fight against America. It had all happened to _him, _Sena Kobayakawa Eyeshield 21

But she wasn't Eyeshield 21. She was a fast gopher for bullies she didn't want to get hurt by. Mamori-neechan would never let her play such a dangerous sport. Shaking her head she looked at the clock, 5 minutes until breakfast.

With an eep she dove into her wardrobe and changed into her uniform. For a second she almost expected to find the green jacket and tie of Deimon high school, before reality sunk in and she went down for breakfast. Eating her breakfast in silence, apart from hmming at a question from her father, her mind was a jumble of scenes and feelings. Things that she had never seen. It was almost like the memories of that Sena, the Sena that was Eyeshield 21, had been downloaded into her head and she couldn't stop watching.

Part of her wanted it to be a dream. Just a vivid dream that her imagination had made up and added people that she knew, a dream world where she wasn't as useless or wimpy as she was here. Though to be fair the boy-Sena hadn't exactly been a tough guy either...but that was because she was really a girl and her imagination hadn't been able to change her too much or it would have felt wrong.

But another part said no. Another part wanted it to be real. Another part told her it could happen. Another part wanted it to be true. She had to know.

"OK, I'm going to leave now." She grabbed her bag and headed for the door.

"B-But Sena, school doesn't start for another hour." Her mother said, glancing at the half-eaten breakfast her daughter had left.

"I know I just want...an early morning jog to wake me up a bit." Sena hoped her smile was convincing enough for her parents because it felt very fake on her face. Luckily her mum seemed to buy it and beamed at her.

"OK, enjoy your run, but be careful not to go into any bad areas. I know its morning but you never know.)

"I'll be careful kaa-chan. Bye tou-san." She waved at her father before nearly sprinting out the door.

Mihae turned to Shuuma and shook her head.

"Sena seemed awfully distracted this morning, I wonder what's the matter?" Shuuma shrugged his shoulders.

"You know teenagers, maybe she's just tired. She has to take her entrance exams soon, maybe she's just stressing a little." Mihae half-nodded and then her eyes went very wide and slightly starry.

"Or maybe she's finally found a boyfriend! Oh, I knew it would happen one day!" The cup of coffee froze in mid-air, halfway on its journey to his mouth, as Shuuma stared at his wife with a mixture of horror, fatherly shock, and disbelief.

Sena ran. She knew exactly where to go, even though she'd never been there before. The route was burned into her mind because _he_ had run it countless of times. Unconsciously her legs started to push her faster, as if they wanted to reclaim that feeling, the speed of light. Her hands clenched, holding something, missing something, and her head began to throb. Dull spasms of pain along with short bursts of images, sounds, and emotions.

But, she needed to know.

Her legs (_golden legs_) pushed on, they hurt a little bit. She wasn't used to running this fast for extended periods of time, her endurance was awful. She could almost here a voice in her ear.

"_Kekeke, you better run faster fucking shrimp, your stamina's worse than a fucking worms!"_ Followed by an enthusiastic round of bullets been fired, and the ominous howl of cerberos at her heels.

Unknown to her a small grin slipped across her face, and she continued to run, the ache burned, but she ran.

Houses, paths, people, they all passed her by. Some turned to see the thing that had blurred past them in a second or two but it had already gone.

Finally it came into view, Deimon High School. It was nearly empty, not going to open for a good half hour. The entrance was devoid of anyone.

But, two certain students may have come early for morning practice. Two students whose faces she could see crystal clear in her mind. Two people she'd never met before, two people she weren't sure even existed. Two American foo-

"Get a move on you fucking fatass!"

"But Hiruma.."

Every muscle in her body froze. The voices were the same. Almost afraid to, she looked down onto the training field. And there they were.

Kurita Ryoukan: The number one in power, lineman

Hiruma Youichi: Commander from hell, quarterback

Currently the only members of the Deimon Devil Bats, founded by those two and Gen "Musashi" Takekura. There was a TV set in a classroom with three names and a promise. The Christmas Bowl.

They were real. That meant...

* * *

Someone was staring at them. Not at the fucking fatass, not at him, at them. He'd developed the ability to tell when someone was watching him, in case one of his slaves or enemies tried to do something stupid, and he could feel this stare weighing down on his back. Strangely, it didn't make his skin crawl.

Semi-paying attention the fatass's moan about members, again, he focused on the stare. It wasn't a glare, he'd received plenty of those, thankfully it wasn't one of those fucking disgusting loving stares that some of the more idiotic girls at Deimon sometimes gave him. It wasn't a blank uninterested stare of someone who was wondering what the two of them were doing. It definitely wasn't the fucking old man either, though bizzarly it felt familiar.

This was someone unknown, someone who would most likely bolt the second he turned around. Damn. Who was it? It wasn't going to be another team, unless the fucking dreads had come, round in which case he'd have to force the principal to cover the ensuing damage to the school grounds and student body.

It wasn't aggressive or hostile, he didn't feel threatened, well he never felt threatened but that wasn't the point. The gaze didn't feel timid or frightened either like the ones his "fellow students" gave him, so they had a backbone at least, already more interesting than ninety percent of the idiots here. The fatass hadn't noticed at all, still moaning about team-mates, which they would get soon he already had a plan for New Year, so he left him to his training and picked up the ball. The fucking piece of wood, Rice-kun, was across from him and he got into a position to throw. Narrowing his eyes at the distance he felt the stare lock solely on him.

Who the fuck was staring at him?

For a second his eyes flicked over to the school windows, which were just reflective enough to make out the figure staring down at them. A girl, fucking great, but why was she-

* * *

Sena bolted. She'd felt those eyes on her before, well the boy-her had and urgh! She needed to get away. Swinging her bag round her shoulders she headed off for her school.

It couldn't have been just a dream. Kurita-san, and Hiruma-san were real, they played American football and she'd even seen Rice-kun!

Letting her body move in auto-pilot she retreated into her head, trusting her legs to carry her forward and hopefully not into some poor pedestrian.

'I have seen two people from my dream in reality.'

'I felt like I knew them, that they were my team-mates, I know their character and personality.'

'I recognised Hiruma-san's pass, he's thrown so many to Monta-kun before...'

'I think that my dream was real, or at least partly so.'

'I wanted to join them.'

Sadly, Sena's luck has never been that good, no matter what universe she's in, and while she could trust her body and legs to run, she could trust them to dodge, yet.

"Ooph!"

Suddenly jolted back to reality, she found herself falling to the ground. She knew how to stop, she knew how to land safely on the ground, the memory and knowledge where there in her head, but her body didn't know yet. Falling face first onto a concrete path was going to hurt so much.

_If you were faster and stronger this wouldn't have happened, fucking shrimp!_

She really did not want a Hiruma voice in her head, her sanity was already near breaking point. Anyway back to the falling. She closed her eyes and braced herself for the coming pain. Mamori-neechan was going to attach a tracker to her after this.

Arms encircled her waist and with a surge of strength she was lifted back on her feet. Airborne for a second she felt her feet touch the ground again, no face plant today it would seem. Blinking, once she looked up only to nearly faint at the sight of exactly who had caught her.

**AN: Hello, and welcome to my first ES21 fan fiction. It's essentially a very odd time travel sort of thing. At the moment I have to prepare for my exams but this plot bunny bit me and I couldn't let it go. I'm trying really hard to not make people OCC but some of them (Hiruma) are very difficult to write and I really don't want to ruin him. I'm not entirely sure where I'm going to go with it, but I think it'll be very fun to write and, I hope, to read as well. Regarding romance for the moment its fairly open but I'm leaning towards SenaXHarem, but I'm open to suggestions. I hope you enjoyed it and I'll try and update soon.**


	2. Rivals Reunite

**Disclaimer: The Eyeshield 21 manga and anime series do not belong to me**

'Thoughts'

"Speech"

Chapter 2: Rivals Reunite

When they woke up that morning both Haruto Sakuraba and Seijuro Shin thought that it was going to be a perfectly normal day, well as normal a day as was possible for a wide receiver idol and the strongest linebacker in Japan. They weren't expecting a meteor falling from the sky, they weren't preparing for a sudden blizzard, nor where they fearful that a time travelling dinosaur appearing on the street and trying to eat them. As such they weren't prepared for what looked like a tiny brown hurricane hurtling in their general direction on their way to school, they couldn't say what it was but the distance between them was decreasing rapidly.

"Hey watc-" Sakuraba vainly tried to warn someone, Shin or the hurricane he didn't know which, but it was too late. With an "ooph" and a crash the hurricane came to an abrupt halt, using Shin as a break. He watched shock as Shin was actually pushed back by the force of the collision. Through the confusion Sakuraba was able to see the slight figure of a young girl, maybe a year or two younger than them, and she was falling to the ground. Instinctively he reached out, hoping to catch her before she hit the concrete, but, as usual, Shin was there first.

His team-mate grabbed the girl by the waist and easily lifted her into a standing position, she looked so thin and light it wouldn't have been hard for even him to do it, and placed her on the ground. Sakuraba caught sight of wide brown eyes under a mop of brown hair as the girl blinked in confusion. Then something even odder happened.

The girl went white as a sheet, as if someone had literally sucked all the colour out of her skin, and her eyes seemed to grow even bigger. She looked like she was about to faint. Her eyes switched from him to Shin at an alarming pace, almost like she was struggling to process what had happened. Inwardly praying that it wasn't one of his 'fans' (he had no idea how scary girls could be before Jari Productions) he smiled at her in what he hoped was a reassuring manner.

"Are you alright miss?" he asked. This was apparently the wrong thing to do because she went even whiter and actually took a step back. She looked like she was afraid that they were about to attack her. Sakuraba found himself wanting to frown; 'fear doesn't belong on her face'. The silence began to get awkward, at least to him, he didn't think that Shin knew the meaning of awkward silences.

"Are you injured in anyway?" Wow even Shin was speaking to her. This was apparently the right thing to do; the girl blinked once more before shaking her head. When she looked back at them, some of that fear had disappeared and, his heart sunk, he now saw recognition beginning to form in those brown eyes.

"N-No I-I-I'm fine. T-Thank you." She said, bowing her head a little. Her entire body screamed meekness and vulnerability; this girl had managed to push Shin back? Even her voice was shy and quiet, though the softness was a nice to change to the screams of "Sakuraba-kun!" which he usually heard. He kept the smile on his face when her eyes landed on him but he felt a jolt run through his body; those eyes…they were looking at him not just with recognition but knowledge too, he felt as if she knew him, those eyes weren't the eyes of a stranger.

Another blink and the look was gone, this time replaced by horror and embarrassment. She suddenly sank into a deep bow, startling him out of that strange feeling of knowing.

"I-I'm so sorry Sakuraba-san, Shin-san. I wasn't looking where I was going an-" She stopped, he wanted to groan and Shin just stared at her with an oddly frightening intensity. That feeling of fear seemed to surround her again and he couldn't think of anything to say. He was disappointed that she knew of him, if she was a fan that might explain that strange knowing look, but he had hoped for a moment-

"How do you know our names?" Shin's calm voice cut through his thoughts. 'That's right, how does she know Shin too? Most fans only know me on the team.' The girl's face screamed panic and she shifted her stance a little, as if she was going to run away. What happened next would puzzle him for some time. Shin's aura completely changed; he wasn't Sakuraba's socially inept, training-obsessed friend anymore he was Japan's strongest linebacker. His gaze was locked on the girl, his posture straightened and he actually flexed his fingers. He was facing prey, an opponent, not a teenage girl. The whole thing reminded Sakuraba of a nature documentary he'd seen, that of a lion about to chase a gazelle, and that hadn't ended well for the gazelle.

* * *

'Sena, you absolute moron!'

How could she be so stupid as to address them by their names? Especially considering _she'd never met either of them before in her life!_ But…she couldn't help it. Some stupid sense of familiarity from that stupid dream had caused her to blurt out their names like it was perfectly natural. She could almost remember speaking with and meeting them before: Shin-san's spear tackle, visiting Sakuraba-san in hospital, etc. For a second she had been _him_ and _he_ was apologizing to two other players.

Her head felt like it was going to split open as images rushed to the front from the times that _he_ had faced them.

She needed to get away.

Her body instantly lowered into a running possession, she was ready to run away like usual, run away like she always did. Then Shin moved too.

Her reaction nearly frightened her.

Here was this huge, strong, competitive, American football player looking like he was about to Spear Tackle her across the road and all she could feel was excitement? She must have hit her head on Shin-san harder than she thought. Why wasn't she screaming "Hiiieeeee!" and running in the opposite direction? Why did she feel like smiling?

Her blood was pounding. Her head was screaming. Her heart was pumping. Her legs wanted to run.

She wanted to run against him again…for the first time…once more….she didn't care which one she wanted to fight him again. The feeling of power that flowed through her body was incredible, she actually felt confident. She was confident that she could run against him, she believed in her own abilities for perhaps the first time. She couldn't explain why, she only knew that it was happening and it felt amazing.

It was like she didn't care that he was better than her in almost every single way, because she was better than him at speed. A smile spread across her face as her panic ebbed away into a corner of her mind. He wanted to know how she knew their names? Fine, she would tell him. She didn't want to run away again.

"I know your names through American football." She dropped her stance and straightened back up. For a second _she_ was the running back for the Deimon Devil Bats and she could meet these players on equal ground because she was one of them.

Her answer served to apparently shock Sakuraba-san and relax Shin-san, his aggressive aura dropped and he looked less like he was going to plough her into the ground. She felt Sakuraba-san watch her.

"Wow, really, which team do you support?" Instantly, she was back to normal.

"I-I just got into it r-recently really, but I-", she paused and then beamed up at the two of them, not seeing the redness beginning to spread across Sakuraba's cheeks, "I think that the Ojou White Knights are one of the best teams I've seen."

"W-Well that's very kind of you miss?"

'You forgot to introduce yourself idiot!'

"Kobayakawa Sena, and I'm really very sorry for running into you." Sakuraba nodded, and his smile didn't look as strained as it did previously.

"Well it seems you already know us but, my name is Sakuraba Haruto and this is Shin Seijuro, whom you probably know is our best player." Shin looked like he was about to speak but Sena found herself speaking instead.

"I think that Sakuraba-san is a very good player too." The boy started and then stared at her with a mixture of disbelief and shock. "Maybe he isn't the ace player now but he definitely could be. He's really tall and could be an amazing receiver, that pass in the…(her mind remembered a small boy in hospital who admired Sakuraba-san since he made that pass in..) Deimon vs. Ojou game was fantastic. Even if he doesn't have as much natural talent as others," she looked down remembering a team-mate struggling in the rain to catch up with the others in the death march, three linemen who went from delinquents to playing against the Taiyo Sphinx pyramid line, a short, but powerful, boy who overcame Mizumachi's height, and a catcher who had no natural talent at all, who just kept on chasing after a ball until he beat Taka Honjo, "he should chase after them, as far as his normal abilities will let him." She remembered a player with the God Speed Impulse and that exhilaration of overcoming him. "Because even though it seems impossible, the only way we can answer the question if it is or not, is if we try."

Suddenly realising that both of them were now staring at her rather intently she decided it was time to go.

"W-Well it was very nice meeting you both, but I need to get to school." And with that she grabbed her bag and bolted away from them.

* * *

Shin stared after the girl. She wasn't an athlete. From what he could see she did no intensive training, at least power wise and she didn't appear to have confidence in herself or her body. But that speed. His eyes caught sight of a book lying forgotten on the path, he bent down and picked it up, leaving Sakuraba to his wildly spinning thoughts, it was a maths exercise book.

"She will need this." He informed his stunned friend, before setting off after the girl, Sena Kobayakawa.

She wasn't that far ahead, her speed was that of an average middle school student and he felt a twinge of uncertainty, had this girl really forced him back it seemed impossible. He reached out a hand to stop her, a very, very, very, very weak version of his tackle.

As if she sensed him her head snapped round and their eyes met.

Electricity sparked. A primal bond was created, or opened again. A moment of instant comprehension and recognition.

You are the one whose abilities I will acknowledge. You will be the measuring stick for my own skill. You are the one I will fight against.

The chase began.

Her speed accelerated, and she took a sharp turn down an alleyway. So sharp that most players wouldn't be able to follow her. But Shin wasn't most players.

He turned the corner and kept his gaze locked on the back of his target. He had committed himself totally to chasing her down. It was as if he was back on the playing field only something was different. There was a roaring in his ears, his heart was beating far quicker than normal, and he actually felt excited. The only time he had felt something close had been during the game against the Shinryuuji Nagas, and that had been tempered with anger at himself for not being strong enough. This feeling was less tainted. It was pure competition.

Another turn. He followed.

A third turn. He wouldn't stop.

He could hear the harshness of her breathing, she was getting tired; her stamina was not strong enough to endure the chase must longer. He was going to catch her and the both knew it. He reached out his arm once more.

But at the last second her shoulders squared, her resolution formed, and even though they both knew her body would be in tremendous pain later, she pushed herself into the world of the speed of light. There was a green flash, his fingers stretched out to reach the back of her school uniform, they brushed against fabric and then…

She was gone.

40 yards in 4.2 seconds. A speed that meant all his power was useless. He hadn't caught her. His run slowed to a jog then a stop. His heart didn't stop, his blood was still stirring and that excitement was still there. His eyes stared down the road trying to see her but it was like she had disappeared.

She had gotten away. She escaped him.

He looked down at his hand and clenched it into a fist. He had almost had her, he had almost been able to catch her. For the first time in his life Seijuro Shin felt a burning desire to improve, to chase after this Kobayakawa Sena again and catch her. He needed to get better.

He had a goal to aim for.

He looked down at the book still held in his other hand and flipped it open to the first page.

The sight of an address given if lost on the inside of Sena's math book was one of the few things that made Shin smile.

* * *

Sena's day passed in a near blur after that. She didn't pay much attention in classes, only took a few notes, and nearly walked into ten different fellow students. Her muscles were in agony, she honestly wanted to lay down on the floor and not move an inch. She practically inhaled her water bottle and her walking was rather shaky at times. She didn't have her book for math class, which was odd because she was sure that she'd packed it in her bag, and more than one teacher told her to wake up.

Yet the smile on her face hadn't moved an inch.

When Shin had reached out to grab her she had thought that she'd be content to give in, she had run away he had chased her down fair and square…for what reason she didn't really know. Then her vision had shifted, she was looking through an eyeshield at a goal line during her second game ever, she hadn't wanted to run away….her team was counting on her…and she wanted…she wanted to beat Shin, and she had. Her legs had pushed forward her resolution to win carried her onward and she had outrun him.

Victorious was a new feeling for her, and she loved it. Confidence was something that she had resigned herself to never having, she could admire people who had it like Mamori-neechan, Riku-niisan, and Hirum-, other people but she would never have it. At least she had thought so until that run. The self-assurance that she would beat him had come out of nowhere; but it had felt right and she had felt strong. It was wonderful.

Though it may have been a little better if she didn't currently feel like she was about to collapse.

_Fucking shrimp, how do you expect us to win if you collapse after a single fucking run!_

Anyone watching the timid girl would probably wonder why her smile softened, why it seemed to light up a little bit and why she started to quietly chuckle to herself. The answer would probably surprise them.

Somehow she managed to make it home. Collapsing on her bed she stared at the ceiling, just letting herself feel the ache in her legs. She wanted to do it again. With that thought in her head her eyes started to droop as exhaustion finally began to win over the small brunette, and she fell asleep.

For about 10 minutes.

"Sena-chan, there's a boy at the door asking for you." Her mother's gleeful tone managed to drag her from the land of sleep and she gazed stupidly at the ceiling.

It took about 3o seconds for her to process exactly what her mother had said before she dashed downstairs. Her hair was messy, her clothes were untidy and she was still sweaty from this morning. Dimly, she was aware of her mother's disapproving gaze but all she could focus on was the figure in her doorway holding a slightly bent maths book.

'Shin-san is in my house'

"Sena-chan, why didn't you tell me you knew such a nice boy?" her mother asked and Sena inwardly cried, her kaa-san was undoubtedly planning out her wedding and the names for future grandchildren. Perfect.

"I just met Kobayakawa-san today, she dropped her maths book and I came here to return it to her." She shook her head and focused on Shin-san, trying to ignore the wink and smile her mother gave her as she left the room. Pasting a smile on her face she stepped forward.

"T-Thank you Shin-san." He made her stutter even worse, she couldn't help it he was just so…powerful? Masculine? Cool? The only time she or _he_ had ever felt on equal footing with him had been when they ran against him. Shin-san was amazing, there was no other word for it; he was one of the super-humans.

"You need to work on your stamina." She blinked, taken aback by his blunt tone and equally blunt voice. He was staring at her intently and she could feel herself beginning to fidget under that heavy gaze. Not knowing what to say she just nodded. Taking this as his signal he carried on.

"You could become a very good American football player." Again she only nodded but a feeling of apprehension, no not as bad as that it was a mix of suspense, hope, and fear.

"I jog every day to keep up my stamina." She very nearly blurted out "I know" but after the mornings mishap she was able to stop herself, because then she would start to look like a stalker.

"Do you want to jog with me?" Her head snapped up so fast she thought she had given herself whiplash.

"I-I'm sorry, c-could y-you repeat t-that p-please." Surely she had misheard.

"Do you want to jog with me in the mornings?" Apparently she hadn't.

"W-Why would you a-ask me that?" What was going on, was this another dream of hers? A dream within a dream as not what she needed. She never noticed that she always called it a dream and not a nightmare.

His eyes locked on to hers and it was like she had been turned to stone.

"I want to see how good you can be, and then I want to beat you." She almost smiled; it was so Shin-like; blunt, to the point and no-nonsense. Her mind was reeling; jogging with Shin-san, it seemed so unreal. It was something that would happen to _him_ not to her.

But he was here in her house, and he was asking her to join him. There was a feeling of tension in the air, like this was a great decision in her life, which it was.

If she said no, she could retreat back to her world of yesterday; the world where she lived a peaceful, normal, though subservient existence. Where Mamori-neechan looked after her and chased away her bullies, where she never joined any club or made any close friends because she was so shy, where people could walk all over her and order her around. Normal but also boring and unfulfilling.

If she said yes then it was almost as if she was accepting the dream as real, as if she was accepting that these images in her head were really memories, glimpses of another world in another time, a chance for her to get ahead of the others and perhaps even change some things too. Pictures of future opponents and allies flickered across her brain. It was a dangerous path, she could get hurt, she would feel pain again, and it was very emotionally taxing.

But it was also fun and exciting. She wanted those friends that _he_ had made; she wanted to feel those bonds that _he_ had felt.

It was a cross in the roads and she had to make the first step. This was her journey. She opened her mouth to reply-

"I'm not going to do anything inappropriate." Shin said, vaguely recalling Sakuraba and the others talking about why sometimes girls were nervous around boys.

"Huh!" She gasped, doing a remarkable impression of the three Ha-Ha brothers. 'Inappropriate what does he me-' that's right she was a girl not a boy and that meant…

Shin noted that Kobayakawa had an interesting ability to change colour he had seen her go white, pink and her normal skin colour and now she went bright red. Nearly as red as an apple he noticed. Oddly enough there was something appealing about that colour on her. He did like apples.

Sena began to frantically wave her hands about in an effort to convey to Shin-san that he had been completely wrong about her silence.

"I-I-I'm s-sure that you won't. I wasn't even thinking that Shin-san would do anything i-i-i-inappropriate. I w-was just thinking, that' a-all!" He nodded and she let out a breath. Well now that she had been embarrassed completely. She stood up straight and looked him dead in the eye.

"Shin-san, I would like to join you on your morning jogs." Thinking she sounded a little rude she quickly added, "I-if that really is fine with you. I wouldn't want you to waste any time on me or anything like that."

Shin handed her the book, which she accepted with a quiet thank you, and turned to leave. He looked behind him one last time at the girl who had managed to beat him and didn't deny the stir of excitement in his chest at the thought of seeing her again.

"It's fine. I'll be here tomorrow at 5:30." He then left the house, leaving behind one gaping Sena.

"5:30!"

**AN: OK I really don't have an updating schedule for this, especially since my exams are in about 3 weeks time but I'll see what I can do. I've been floored by the response to it you guys are amazing so here's a longer chapter as a reward From what I've read most of you guys want a SenaHarem, which I'm completely fine with so for now it'll stay like that. If there is any guy you really want in the harem please tell me and I'll see what I can do. Oh, and if there is any character that you want Sena to meet before she does in timeline A (the manga) please let me know too! I hope I managed to keep Shin and Sakuraba in character and that you guys like what I've done so please read and enjoy!**

**Reviews:**

**xXxIRISxXx: **Yes it was Shin-san! Thank you for being my first reviewer on this story. There is going to be some Shin X Sena though it will take a little bit of time since they're both pretty dense when it comes to romance. Subtlety doesn't work with this FemSena.

**Elma Avalonia: **I really do hope that I can improve, I haven't written anything like this in ages so hopefully as I go on it will improve. Thanks for reviewing.

**SleepyPuppy:** Hope this upload was quick enough for you, but I don't know when the next one will be.

**Dakka123: **I'm glad you find it interesting, I like genderbend fics and I like time travel fics too. Eyeshield 21 has become one of my favourite mangas so I decided to combine all 3 things and hope it doesn't turn out too bad.

**Wishyuki: **Thank you for your support and I will definitely keep the story going, unless I completely murder the characterization of some of them. I hope you enjoy my version of time-travel.

**Naruke3716: **It's Shin and Sakuraba! Thank you for your review!

**Nightmaric: **All/Sena is looking good at the moment, I hope I am able to do this idea of mine justice and I hope you continue to enjoy it.

**Heretogetthestory: **I will keep writing! Please keep reviewing. PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE!

**Razorgaze: **I'm glad you like it. HirumaXSena might be difficult for me, if only because at the moment I find Hiruma hard to write, I really don't want to screw him up, but I am willing to try and write it because I love that pairing too.

**Azalie-Kauriu: **I'm thrilled that you like my version of FemSena, I think she's going to have a lot of moodswingy moments where she goes from being confident and sure of her self (channeling the male 18 year old post manga Sena) back to her normal 14 year old shyness and meekness.

**The Neo Productions: **I have time at the moment but I don't know how long it will last for sadly. Still thank you for your review!

**SasoLOVE111: **Hope this was worth your excitement!

**Msdgirl: **Correct guess. A Sena harem is very popular so if there's anyone you or any reader wants in it please let me know!

**Wolf D. Dragon**: I'm glad you enjoyed the first chapter and thank you for reading my story!


	3. Morning Jog

**Disclaimer: The Eyeshield 21 manga and anime series do not belong to me**

'Thoughts'

"Speech"

Chapter 3: Morning Jog

"_We've been waiting for you!"_

"_Please show the White Knights what we can do."_

"_And please be the sacrifice of Shin's tackles."_

'_That's what they really want me to do.'_

**BEEP!**

"Gah!"

In a move startlingly similar to yesterday Sena managed to roll out of her bed onto the floor in a muddle of blankets and limbs. Managing to disengage herself from the heap she stretched her arms up to the ceiling, eyes still foggy from sleep and dreams looked up at the still shrieking alarm clock with a mixture of confusion and tiredness.

5:00AM

Why on earth had she set her alarm for five O'clock in the morn-

_Sharp serious eyes stared at him from across the field with an intensity that would have frightened him in any other situation._

That's why. Shin-san had invited her to go jogging with him this morning…at 5:30. Letting out a sigh she pushed herself off the floor and went to dig out some suitable clothing from her incredibly small collection of clothes. Her eyes and muscles groaned at her to just crawl back into the warmth of her snuggly blanket and go back into the world where she wasn't just a slightly fast nobody with no friends except Mamori-neechan, where she felt important and strong instead of small and weak.

The dream had come back for a second night. Well, not all of it really, just a section from when sh..._he_ had played against Ojo White Knights for the first time. The first time _he_ had played a full game, the first time _he_ had played against Shin-san, and the first time_he_ had been tackled. Although she hadn't ever been tackled for, her speed was used to avoid pain at all costs; it was almost as if she had been. She could feel the phantom of his arm slamming into her stomach and feel a sliver of the pain that had erupted in _him_when _he_ had hit the ground. She nearly checked her stomach for the bruises which _he_had walked away with from that match.

In the corner of her wardrobe she finally found some tracksuit trousers, a white tank top, and a red hoodie for her to jog in. It was winter and even though there hadn't been any snow yet it was still really cold outside, though there was a hope for snow at Christmas once school had broken up for the holidays.

Christmas…

A year from now it would be the Christmas Bowl. The one that _he_ had played in. The dream which had pushed Kurita-san, Musashi-san, and Hiruma-san forward and bound them together. The dream which every one of the Deimon Devil Bats come to share. The dream which they had fulfilled through hard work, tears, and trust. A dream which she no-

The clock now read 5:20

"Hiee! I need to get ready!" Quickly grabbing the clothes she had chosen she ran, as quietly as she could, to the kitchen. Then began an interesting and very difficult process of getting changed whilst simultaneously making breakfast and writing a note for her parents to tell them where she was, if they woke up before she came back. To be fair she did quite well, there were only some crumbs and a splodge of jam on the note, and there was an ink stain from the pen on her sleeve but other than that things went fairly smoothly.

As 5:30 drew nearer she wondered where she and Shin-san would jog, knowing how intense and committed he was to his training meant that it probably wouldn't be a once-round-the-block sort of thing. No, with her current stamina she was more likely to be gasping for breath when they'd finished and end up looking like a complete fool in front of her respected rival.

Wait. Her rival?

"Meow." Jumping at the noise Sena turned around to see a familiar ball of fur staring up at her with sleepy and faintly annoyed eyes. A smile crossed her face and she bent down to pick up the tired little kitten. Stroking her head she hugged Pitt to her chest.

"I'm sorry girl. Did I wake you?" Pitt actually gave her a what-do-you-think look and she chuckled.

"Don't look at me like that, I had to get up I'm going jogging with someone today." Pitt instantly arched her back and hissed, or at least she tried to from her position of being snuggled into her owner's chest.

"Now, now. How about I get you some milk?" Pitt instantly brightened and started to purr softly instead. "Good girl." Quickly getting the promised milk she left the happily slurping kitten to go put on her trainers.

No sooner had she finished tying the laces when there were three short loud raps on the door. Wincing at the volume she opened the door and there he was, dressed in the same blue track suit that she had seen in her dreams…which sounded fairly creepy when she thought about it like that.

"G-G-Good morning S-Shin-san." Faced with someone who she hadn't known for two years her stutter appeared in all its glory. He inclined his head and continued to stare at her with those serious dark eyes, which wasn't really helping at all.

"Hello Kobayakawa-san, are you ready to jog with me this morning?" She looked back once to check that her parents were still asleep, that Pitt wasn't destroying any of the furniture and that she had her keys with her. Turning back with a, very nervous, smile she nodded and stepped outside.

"Y-Yes, lets b-begin." He nodded and they both started to jog towards the street at a reasonable pace.

At first Sena couldn't focus on anything at all, she was just so nervous in front of Shin-san. And why shouldn't she? Even the other Sena had still been tense around him and he had beaten him. She was just a-

_Get a fucking backbone you fucking shrimp! You think a monster like Shin would accept just anyone as his fucking rival?_

OK the "Hiruma-voice" in her head was really starting to freak her out. She hoped that it wasn't permanent, but it did have a point. Shin-san wasn't the sort of person who saw weak nobodies as his rival, she may not be as skilled or as strong as _he_ was, but she could be. There was some potential there, potential that Shin had seen, that Hiruma had seen, that others had acknowledged in her. It was up to her to make use of it.

She glanced at Shin-san from the corner of the eye and couldn't see any disappointment or contempt on his face; then again she had never seen that much emotion from Shin-san apart from his game-face and that smile he had given _him_ at the end of their second battle. He was completely focused on jogging, on pushing himself further and further to the limits of his power. Shin-san really was amazing! He must have sensed her gaze because he tilted his head slightly to meet her eyes. Flushing bright red she quickly snapped her head back so that she was looking at the path head again.

'O-Of course I'm nowhere near his level yet, and staring at him is not going to help. Neither is acting like a weirdo, although I'm not sure that Shin-san knows what a weirdo is.'

Eventually though Sena's nerves started to fade away under the rhythmic movement of jogging, her thoughts slowed down until all she could hear was the steady thumping of her feet on the pavement. One foot than the other, the stretching of her leg muscles, the increase of her heartbeat, the breeze starting to blow through her hair, it was all so familiar to her. She had been doing gopher jobs for so long that she had nearly forgotten how much she genuinely enjoyed running. She used to love running with Riku, it always felt so free to just run. She loved that freedom, but it wasn't something she got to taste that often; doing errands for, she admitted, bullies never made her feel free just scared and trapped.

Even her worry over jogging with Shin-san was fading under that feeling and the tenseness in her shoulders began to disappear. It was an odd paradoxical feeling of numbness and freedom, hard to explain so she didn't try to. She just kept on jogging.

_From now on your weapon is speed._

And she was going to make the most of it.

Shin found himself oddly intrigued by the small girl, usually when he was training he was completely one hundred per-cent focused on the task in hand; but today his attention was oddly split between jogging and examining his new partner. She didn't act like the females which seemed to appear when Sakuraba went outside. For one she didn't make any of those high shrieking noises which they did, noises which were not good for ears and made nearby dogs start howling. Secondly, she hadn't made any complaints about the timing of the jog, Takami had explained that most people did not get up to train as early as he did and that most would not appreciate being forced to train at 5:30 in the morning yet Kobayakawa had not complained, in fact she had smiled at him. Smiles usually expressed happiness or enjoyment. Thirdly, she had not asked him to slow down to make it easier for her, he could tell from her body that she was not an athlete and that she had most likely done no sort of intense training apart from speed, she seemed determined to change that.

Yes, Kobayakawa Sena was not a typical female, and she was faster than him. There was a strange feeling in the location of his stomach, was this what his team-mates called excitement. Interesting.

The pair ran around another corner, each lost in their own thoughts be it of jogging or their new partner. Neither of them slowed down or spoke to one another, it wasn't awkward though; Shin didn't know how to sense awkwardness and in a weird way Sena couldn't feel awkward because she felt like she knew him (and they weren't speaking so she didn't have to worry about making an idiot out of herself).

It was after about 20 minutes that Sena started to feel the burn in her legs. Her body had to work harder to keep going and she could feel her palms starting to sweat. What was even more annoying was that there was a little voice in her head whispering evilly at her:

'Just quit. Stop running. You've never been able to do anything like this before in your life. You always give up in the end. You always fai-'

_Shut the fuck up and run you fucking shrimp! Cerberos!_

"Hiee!" Images of sharp teeth of death and a snarling howl filled her head and gave her that extra burst of speed despite her exhaustion and she started to pull away from Shin. Not at light-speed, but it was more than a jog. Of course Shin reacted in an instant and they were equal once more, only now instead of feeling a numb sense of freedom she was just feeling the pure terror of running away from the hound of hell.

So maybe the "Hiruma-voice" did have its uses, despite also terrifying her at the same time. Oddly enough she missed her captain even though she'd never met him before in her life. She missed Kurita-san too, the gentle giant was the first one to make her feel comfortable and welcome in the club. Of course at that point it had just been him and Hiruma and Hiruma wasn't exactly the welcoming sort. For now they would be the motivation that kept her putting one foot in front of the other, even if her legs were screaming at her to stop.

Soon she had to fight for each step, her lungs were working furiously to supply her body with oxygen, and she knew she was going to feel muscle aches for the rest of the day, and probably for the near future too.

'But I feel happy. I'm enjoying this, because I can see what it will lead to; standing on the field with the other Devil Bats, standing up to the monsters in the American football world and beating them.'

They jogged for an hour. At the end of said hour Sena was just about ready to collapse, but she hadn't stopped once. They reached her house at 6:30AM and she all wanted to do was go to sleep for the day and rest. It was still fairly dark when they had finished so Shin-san had insisted that they jog back to her house instead of going their separate ways. She briefly considered inviting him inside for a drink but she felt that that would be taking it a little too far and her parents wouldn't be pleased. Well her dad wouldn't, her mum would be thrilled, and so she settled for a bow instead.

"T-Thank you f-for allowing me t-to jog with you today S-Shin-san." Confidence level had returned to normal. Luckily Shin was not the type of person to notice things like that.

"You performed admirably, not many people have been able to keep up with me for that long." His voice was the same rather monotonous tone but there was a look in his eye that she knew: acknowledgement. It was the first time that she had ever had it directed it at her, the first compliment she'd had in nine or ten years, she'd done something right for a change.

A strange warm feeling started to build inside her, she'd felt it before in her dream the other-Sena had felt it a lot of times but she had only been able to experience it faintly, a layer between her and him prevented her from feeling everything as clearly as he had. This feeling however was completely hers and it was so much better. She had done something for herself. So instead of blushing or stuttering at him she felt her mouth curve into a smile and not into her usual please-don't-hurt-me-I-can't-fight-back smile but a real smile that stretched across her face and reached her eyes.

"Thank you Shin-san I enjoyed jogging with you today." She'd just have to struggle through the day with aching muscles.

Shin blinked, he hardly ever took notice of people's faces, the main way he remembered them was through their bodies. Yet in that moment an image of that smile and those eyes was able to penetrate his usually training-obsessed mind and like before he felt that odd feeling in his stomach. Maybe he was coming down with something. Those eyes turned away from him and the feeling disappeared again.

"A-Are y-you coming round t-tomorrow?" She looked like an apple again. He nodded.

"It would be a benefit to both of us for this to continue. I shall see you tomorrow Kobayakawa-san." He waited for her to nod before he left. He had time to go to the gym before school began and hopefully that odd feeling wouldn't come again, it was very distracting.

She almost wanted him to call her Eyeshield, but she wasn't an American football player…yet.

Despite her exhaustion she didn't go to sleep. Instead she scooped Pitt up, who had been watching from the window, and sat down at the table with a notebook and pen. Starting a new page she wrote on the top **Eyeshield 21 – Boy Sena – Timeline**. She freaked out a little when she saw that she had written in English, one of her worst subjects at school.

Well, _he_ had spent half a term at Notre Dame and _his_ friendship with Panther-kun had pushed _him_ to improve _his_ English abilities. Abilities which had apparently transferred to her, which was an unexpected bonus, at least the entrance exam she would take wouldn't be as bad as the one that other-Sena had to do. Mamori-neechan might be a little suspicious as to how she got so good though. Deciding to deal with that another time she turned back to the paper and started to write down some of the things that would happen in the next few years, (Mamori-neechan was better at this sort of organizational stuff but she wasn't completely useless at it) it was surprising some of the specific details she could remember...or predict (the issue of verbs, tenses and pronouns was getting very annoying). What was even odder were the feelings she would sometimes experience, the rush of running towards the end zone, the feeling of victory, the bitterness and frustration of defeat, things she'd never felt before. Anyway back to her list.

_Deimon Entrance Exam_

_Acceptance to Deimon – Meet Hiruma and Kurita_

_Meet the three Ha-ha brothers - while they are still bullies_

_Join the Deimon Devil Bats as secretary/Eyeshield 21– Hiruma_

_Play the Koigahama Cupids – win_

_Mamori becomes the team manager_

_Play Ojo White Knights – lose_

_Meet Monta_

_Play the Zokugaku Chameleons – win_

_Hell Tower – Komusubi, Yukimitsu, Jumonji, Kuroki, Togano_

_Seibu Wild Gunmans play Ojo White Knights – White Knights win_

_Play Taiyo Sphinx – draw_

_Shinryuji Nagas play Ojo White Knights – Shinryuji win_

_Learn about Musashi - meet Koutaro_

_Americans arrive – meet Panther_

_Play Nasa Aliens – lose_

_Go to America_

_Beach tournament – Kid, Tetsuma_

_Meet Doburoku-sensei_

_Death March – meet Taki and Suzuna_

_Las Vegas_

_Start of Autumn Tournament_

_Play Ami-_

At that point her parents started to come down so she was unable to finish the list. Folding it in her hoodie's pocket she greeted them good morning, determinedly ignoring her desire to rest. Her heart was already pounding, there were so many things for her to look forward to, so many people to meet and new friends to make. She only hoped that the difference in gender wouldn't make a difference and that the bond that all the Devil Bats had shared would still form even if she was a girl. She would make sure that she was just as good as _he_ had been so there would be no reason for her to be treated any differently. She would just be another player right? Besides Riku in her timeline had treated her just the same as the one in the other timeline and Shin-san hadn't treated her differently either.

Sadly Sena forgot to include the important information that a) Riku was at an age when girls either had cooties or were just like boys and that would most likely have changed since she'd last seen him, b) Shin was not a good template for the normal American Football player and c) if the football field was like a jungle the males were not going to ignore a strong female who suddenly appeared. This would be fairly important later on.

For now though she had school to go to, and bullies to avoid. Hopefully her legs would still allow her to run if they did appear.

It seemed that luck still hated her.

She'd managed to avoid her "friends" for the better part of the day, actually trying to focus on her lessons and hiding on the roof during lunch and break. Sadly they had a nasty habit of waiting for her outside of school away from the eyes of teachers. It was with a sense of foreboding and fear that she started to walk home.

A meaty hand landed on her shoulder and she could actually smell them.

"Well, well, we finally found our little Sena-chan." She reluctantly turned her head around and sure enough there he was, Arashi Tsugi, her "friend" since her first year at middle school who had tormented her for years. It was worse for her because when he looked at her it wasn't a typical bully look of contempt and anger, there was something darker and much more frightening on his face that she didn't like one bit. It was almost obsessional. She steeled herself and met his gaze straight on, something she hadn't done since first year.

"What do you want Tsugi-san?" For a second Arashi was surprised, the little chit hadn't looked at him in the eyes for years. Shaking it off quickly, he grinned down at her horribly.

"Now, don't be like that Sena-chan. The guys and I just need you to get some stuff for us that's all." She was a decent gopher and he liked watching her try and run in their middle school's uniform, which for the girls meant a skirt. Her legs were spectacular, and the fact that she had no backbone at all suited him just fine.

The words "of course" teetered on the edge of her tongue; years of servitude had almost made it compulsory, but something made her bite back the words. Something made her spine straighten up ever so slightly and remind her that she was worth more than a gopher. Something that had a voice that sounded like a certain Hell Commander.

_Don't you dare give in to this fucking idiot! You're Eyeshield 21, running back of the Deimon Devil Bats with the speed of light. No way in hell are you this worm's fucking gopher. If you give in I'll shoot you!_

"No." She said, her voice coming out clearly and strong. For about three seconds there was absolute silence on the street and then Arashi's face twisted into something unpleasant (well more unpleasant) and cruel.

"Sena-chan, don't forget, your my gopher and if you don't do what I want then you have no use to me and your just another weakling." He stepped closer into her personal space and she held her breath. "You know how I feel about weaklings." His grin was more of a sneer and he clenched one of his hands into a fist. "So I think the words you're looking for are 'of course Tsugi-sama' and 'sorry for my rudeness'."

Fear warred with courage, but it wasn't strong enough for her to back down.

"No, I don't want to be a gopher for you anymore Tsugi-san. Please leave me alone after today." Try as she might there was still a slight waver in her voice. She turned to leave.

A hand grabbed her shoulder again, and this time when she turned around there was no grin on his face, just the rage of a stupid animal who had been denied what it wanted.

"No-one walks away from me. Especially not wimpy little bitches that are useless at everything."

He was going to hit her, but that would still feel better than giving in one more time. Sure enough his other hand came towards her with speed and power (though she had seen and felt ones that were much stronger). She wasn't going to close her eyes either.

The hand stopped. It was stopped by another hand around its wrist. A hand with enough strength to make Arashi cry out in pain and drop down to his knees.

A hand which belonged to an arm which was attached to the body of someone she had seen in a recent dream.

What on earth was he doing here?

**AN: Third chapter up! Still exam time here, and will be until 25th****May but I thought I should at least give you all something and not make you wait a month for the next update because you guys have been absolutely amazing! I almost feel bad ending on that cliffhanger. I promise the story will start to pick up soon I just want to lay the ground work for later chapters. I'm really trying to keep them all IC but this is my first ES21 fic so I'm still getting used to them. As for the pairing/harem I've decided on 4 guys for definite and then there are two who I'm having mixed thoughts about. These two are Riku and Hiruma should I just add one, if so which one, or should I put them both in? I'll leave it up to you but you need to tell me and vote in the poll I'm putting on my profile, and the other four are Kakei, Shin, Yamato, and Marco. Sena won't be the only character who is paired up there will be others, one of which is a yaoi couple. Hope you enjoyed this, I promise more action next time!**

**Msdgirl: **Thank you for your review, reviews always motivate me to write faster! I'm glad you enjoyed the Shin part and I hope you liked this part too!

**SasoLOVE111: **I'm pleased that I was able to end your wait and I'm glad you're excited about it.

**Wishyuki: **A harem does tend to avoid the whole "I only ship Sena with X" scenario and it should be fun to write a clueless Sena. Since I know how long it is before we meet some of the characters I will be giving one or two of them early appearances.

**Heretogetthestory: **I will try and update when I can, it is just a stressful month for me but June is going to be a lot better Thank you for reviewing!

**Naruke3176: **Thank you very much! This is a really interesting story to try and write and I'm thrilled that so many of you seem to like it.

**Supersweetcutebunny: **I like writing Sena's mum she's a funny character to use for embarrassing Sena, and later others. I've put the parings in my AN so please check it out. I'm glad you liked it.

**Shadowcat971: **Sena is cute, as either a boy or girl, and I think the match against the Nagas, when it eventually comes, is going to be fun to write if only for that scene.

**Azalie-Kauriu: **I'm starting out with these earlier chapters in order to give her time to change so when the "real" timeline starts it should be easier to make changes. Thanks for the note about relationships I will try and make things develop at a more natural pace.

**RileeTheRiddler: **Hope this was soon enough for you, glad that you like it this much after only two chapters.

**meglepetes: **Thank you for the luck I think I will need it. Thanks for reviewing too.

**Black Dream Weaver: **I think it is a shame that the ES21 fanfiction is starting to slow down but I will try really hard to keep this going until the end.

**Elma Avalonia: **Thank you very much for the support, it's a fair trade between support and updates. I hope this was as great as you'd hoped it would be.

**CGFlare: **Meeting Shin early is going to have a significant effect on both her and her abilities so that when she does finally get to Deimon she won't be the same meek whimpy little girl she would have been….well not completely she is still Sena. Thanks for the review!

**xXxIRISxXx: **Please don't worry about typos in reviews I will always appreciate any support or advice. I think this story will follow the manga in most parts though there are one or two things form the anime I want to put in as well.

**TheHappyMochi: **Thank you for the review and I'm glad you're enjoying it so far.

**Aoi24:** Thank you for the advice, I'm planning to cap the harem at 5 or 6 and I will try to write all of them well because they are amazing characters whom I want to do justice to. Thank you for the compliment about my style, I don't have a Beta reader but I do try and make each chapter as accurate as I can.

**Hime-chan21: **Hope this was soon enough for you and everyone, I don't think Taka will be in the harem but I've got a vague side story idea with him involved that I hope people will enjoy.

**Little Lady Otaku: **I think this is the first time travel ES21 fic, although I'm not sure about the ones in other languages, and I will be doing a reverse harem. Please vote on the poll for Riku or both if you want him in!


	4. The Right to Improve

**Disclaimer: The Eyeshield 21 manga and anime series do not belong to me**

**Warning: A lot of swearing in this chapter**

Chapter 4: The Right to Improve

Arashi's wrist felt like it was going to snap in two. The strength being exerted on it was nothing like the small-school bully had ever felt before; his size and attitude had always served him well in fights and by middle school no-one was brave enough to even attempt to fight back. It had been a long time since he had been outmatched and he had forgotten that instinctive fear of facing someone with the intent and power to destroy him. His knees buckled from the pain and he could feel the scared eyes of his gang on his back. None of the morons had moved to help him, paralysed with fear of this new stronger predator in their environment.

"W-What the f-" Poor Arashi never got to finish his sentence as the hand crushing his wrist suddenly yanked him completely off the floor. For a second the stunned bully floated in mid-air, suspended only by the power of his assailant's hand. Then he was flying. The two guys who were meant to act as back-up/intimidation could only watch in horror as their leader was hurled across the street at an alarming speed.

If Sena wasn't so shocked she would have been in awe of the accuracy and power if her saviours throw. Instead she watched with wide eyes and a slightly open mouth as Agon Kongo threw her middle school tormentor into a stack of rubbish. At this point her mind had short circuited and she was only barely aware of her surroundings.

"A-A-Arashi-sama!" Minion One scurried over to the now unconscious Arashi Tsugi. Minion Two had yet to take his frightened eyes off of the monster in front of him; he did seem to have a slightly greater degree of courage than his companions though.

"W-Why the hell did you do that?" Unfortunately his ability to speak came back with an increase in stupidity and he actually stepped forward and grabbed Agon by the shirt. Sena barely kept her wince hidden and found herself severely pitying the boy in front of her; apparently he had completely lost all of his survival instinct at one point so the danger of what he was doing had not registered in his mind…yet.

"The reason I threw that fucking trash" This was so not good. She did not want to see the bloodshed that was about to happen. Agon had now grabbed the hand of Minion Two and was giving him that glare. That glare which never failed to freeze people in their steps, that glare which promised pain and anguish, that glare which belonged on the face of a horror story character than a high school student. She could very nearly see the bloodlust and anger radiating out of him. "Was very simple."

Minion Two now experienced for himself the strength of Agon Kongo, the once-in-a-century prodigy with the God-Speed impulse, as his wrist was nearly broken by the two fingered grip. Too late his survival instinct kicked in as he realised what sort of predator he had provoked.

"He bumped me when he walked towards that girl. The gods should never be touched by such worthless trash." Sena could only blink as Minion Two was sent flying after his leader and Minion One let out another shriek of surprise.

The three of them made a pitiful sight; one knocked out, one with what looked like a broken wrist, and one frantically trying to drag them away from the person who had caused it. She only hoped that by the time the three of them returned to school she had gotten strong enough to deal with them when they inevitably took revenge on her for their humiliation.

"Chh, fucking weaklings." With a sense of dread Sena turned to face her "saviour". He was wearing a pair of jeans and a loose T-shirt with some sort of brand name on it, he held himself in a fairly relaxed matter which was a mirror opposite of his behaviour when he and been dealing with the bullies. Now that the cause of his irritation had been removed, that horrible choking anger she'd felt coming off him had disappeared. He looked almost exactly the way that he had in her dream, although his hair was shorter. Whilst she had accepted that the dreams were not just ordinary dreams it was still a shock to see people from them in reality.

When she had seen Hiruma and Kurita at Deimon she had felt surprised and fairly happy, when she had bumped into Shin and Sakuraba she had felt a mixture of embarrassment, shock, and excitement, jogging with Shin had been slightly surreal but overall enjoyable. Coming face to face with Agon, so soon after she had started having the dreams, caused her body to flood with panic. She could still feel it, that thing which he kept hidden under a bored demeanour and fake smile, that evilness which had characterised boy-Sena's first meeting with him.

A really, really big section of her mind was screaming at her to run away, she was so not ready for a meeting with him yet. Another section of her mind helpfully informed her that a) she wouldn't be able to outrun him un her current state, b) he had no idea who she was so unless she did something incredibly stupid she should just avoid his notice, his arrogance meant that he usually ignored ordinary people and c) he had saved her from an unpleasant situation and it would be incredibly rude of her just to run away. A final, incredibly small, section whispered that he had gotten slightly better after the Shinryuji Naga vs Deimon Devil Bats game, so he couldn't be 100% made up of evil.

_Why the fuck are you acting so scared fucking shrimp! You know you can beat fucking dreads so stop acting like a fucking wimp!_

Maybe she should schedule a mental health check before she went home. Yet, like always, the voice had a point Agon was not as invincible as he liked to believe; she had images, memories, of him being beaten. The god was not as untouchable as he liked to think. She may not be strong enough now but she could be.

With that thought in mind she straightened her spine to thank her "saviour".

* * *

Agon was pissed and slightly hung-over. The bitch he was fucking lived too far away for him to put in the effort to come for much longer. Not to mention those useless Deimon trashes went to school near here. If he ever saw that fucking tub of lard again he might actually throw up, and if he bumped into that fucker Hiruma again…Shit it was too bothersome thinking about those losers. He better break it off with his most recent bitch soon so he had even less reasons to come here.

He'd been thinking about the party he was going to this evening when that worthless piece of trash had bumped his shoulder and then walked straight past him as if he hadn't done anything wrong. He was in a rotten mood and the trash had been a convenient and easy outlet, like most of the trashes in the world. It was only after he'd thrown the first idiot that he'd felt the gaze of someone else other than the three dickheads. At first he'd dismissed it as a fourth idiot who he'd need to beat up but as he'd thrown the second piece of trash (that fucker had dared to grab him, a broken wrist was the nicest of the things he wanted to do to that trash) when he'd caught sight of the fourth person. It was a girl.

As they both watched the three idiots half scramble half drag themselves away from him he examined the girl from the corner of his eye. Short, no chest, sweaty face, scruffy hair, great he'd wasted his time by helping this average girl? If she'd been cute that would have been an unexpected bonus in his crap day. The only thing going for her were her legs and he admitted from what he could see that they were fine, although it was difficult to get a decent picture as they were trembling, but that wasn't enough for him to go on and he didn't go for anything that was less than the best. She was a weakling too if she was intimidated by those three. A fucking weak, useless, average looking girl held no interest for him.

Surprisingly she didn't run away whilst he was dealing with (taking his anger out on) the trash and she didn't run now when it was just the two of them. Time for him to go then, he had no interest in trash.

"Thank you."

Two words, spoken clearly without fear or disgust or wonder, halted him in his tracks. Hardly anyone spoke to him like that, not even his brother; they were the polite words of one person thanking another person, two people on the same level. He couldn't remember the last time that that had happened

"Huh?" He turned his head back to stare at the girl-trash. She was standing in exactly the same position, she hadn't moved back and nothing in her posture said that she was going to retreat. Her back was straight, not hunched over with fear or awe at his skill, and looks. Her face showed no sign of a blush or worry about what he might to do her. A pair of weak looking hands clasped a bag to a flat chest but they weren't shaking or betraying any sign of unease. But that wasn't what made him pause…

In years to come he would forever deny, with plenty of swearing and violence, that this was the moment when Sena Kobayakawa stepped slightly above the everyday average pieces of trash he saw in the world, not by much though. It was the moment when his scowling, still angry eyes were evenly matched by her calm gaze.

There was nothing to off about her eyes; they showed gratefulness, unsurprising, and caution, but not as much as most people, it was the caution of meeting a stranger not the caution of seeing him hurl two students across the street. He could detect a little bit of respect for his abilities, not nearly as much as they deserved, and there was a little bit of confusion there as well, the trash was probably wondering why he'd done it.

There was no fear. There was no worship. There was no sense that this girl saw him as anything other than a normal person. No that was wrong, rather she didn't see him as significantly stronger than herself. As if they were equals on nearly the same footing and she was sure that she could catch him.

This piece of trash was looking at him like he wasn't unreachable.

This should have infuriated him. He should have walked over there and shown her how vast the differences between them really were. He had no issues knocking a girl down, though he usually didn't have to and it was not as enjoyable as grinding fucking guy-trashes into the ground. All it would take was for him to walk over there and make her feel the same strength that those other three fuckers had felt. Then she would look at him like everyone else did. Then that fucking normal look would disappear, things would be back to the way they were. It should have pissed him off because it reminded him of that bastard Hiruma who had also dared to dream that he was not unbeatable. The eyes of the girl were like that bastards and it should have pissed him off.

Yet for some reason even his genius mind couldn't understand he didn't get angry. Perhaps there was some mild irritation, though that was mainly due to the knowledge that he should be fucking furious and he wasn't. It was…unsettling. His anger was a constant presence in his life and for it to fail so completely was…Fuck he needed a drink.

"I said thank you. Tsugi-san would have hurt me if you hadn't stopped him." The same calm even tone, the same unwavering gaze. When was the last time that somebody had just honestly thanked him?

"I didn't do it for you trash. That fucker annoyed me that was all, if he hadn't bumped me I would have let him hit you." Maybe now she-

"Still, despite your reasons you did help so thank you." No, no fucking difference at all. Suddenly his irritation flared, he had to make her stop looking at him like that, and he walked over to her. Part of him expected her to cower, to back down at his approach. Physically he dwarfed her, he could probably crush her with just one of his fingers and not feel any strain at all, yet those damn eyes never moved from his. More unnerved than he'd like to admit he scowled down at her, letting some of his irritation show in his eyes.

"I didn't want to help you trash. I have no interest in fucking weaklings who can't defend themselves from that pathetic excuse of a human." His words wanted to hurt, wanted to provoke, wanted to break her down. The reaction he got was unexpected.

Her lips twitched from that bland look into a bittersweet smile, her eyes were coloured with a touch of humour and she gripped her bag a little tighter. Other than that nothing changed. It was almost as if she admitted that she was a weakling but still thought that he was within her level. The fuckin-

"I know I'm weak." He blinked as her words cut off his chain of thought, the voice was still calm but now there was something else. A hint of steel completely at odds with what he'd seen not two minutes earlier. The smile on her mouth widened, as if she could sense his confusion and was laughing at him. Again the anger that should have flared didn't, it was similar to the way he dealt with Unko-chan; his brother at times said things that should have pissed him off and make him lash out at his twin and yet-

"I know I wasn't able to deal with Tsugi-san or his friends without getting beat up. I know I'm weak, at the moment. But that doesn't mean I can't be strong." This last sentence she spoke with such conviction and confidence that for a millisecond he believed her, then reality sunk in. He threw his head back and laughed.

* * *

Sena honestly didn't know why she hadn't run for the hills. It was like she had been split in two: the Sena who as speaking was the one who agreed to run with Shin-san, made her say no to the delinquents, and really wanted to become the Eyeshield 21 who she had seen in her dreams, the other Sena was the teenage girl who had been protected by Mamori-neechan since before she could remember, always ran away from pain, and had no self-confidence whatsoever. That Sena was currently gagged and screaming inside a prison cell whilst the other Sena spoke quite calmly to Agon-san.

Voices in her head, strange futuristic dreams and now she was developing multiple personality disorder. She better make that mental health check a priority.

It wasn't that she wasn't scared of Agon-san or didn't respect his abilities, she did. She respected every one of the players she had played…would play against and you would be a complete idiot not to feel some fear for the more aggressive of the Kongo brothers. It just wasn't the same fear that boy-Sena had felt when he first met Agon, he had gotten past that and for some bizarre reason his lessening of fear had transferred to her, in a similar way that her English level had improved dramatically. She was unsure if she would ever truly feel equal to people like Shin-san or Agon-san but she wouldn't treat them like gods either, _he_ had played with the gods before and had won. It was her turn now. Her turn to run against the gods. Everything was against her; her body, her stamina, her own lack of confidence, but she wanted the right to challenge the monsters. She wanted to use her right to fight to the best of her abilities. That was one of the things that _he_ had learnt.

So when Agon-san started to laugh at her rather than stutter and start to bow in apology she simply stood there and waited for him to stop.

"You can't be serious. A fucking weakling like you? Become strong?" He broke off into laughter again and Sena worked hard to maintain her calm face. He met her eyes again and she could see disbelief, confidence, laughter, things that should have made her want to bury herself in the ground, a part of her did, but she didn't move. She had been serious in what she'd said, the fact that Shin-san had asked her to jog with him today gave her enough of a push to stand her ground.

"I am serious. I want to become stronger. I want to see how far someone like me can go." He snorted again, he seemed to have dismissed her as nothing more than a lunatic, a wimpy girl with stupid dreams of becoming stronger but far too weak and spineless to actually do it. For some insane reason that disbelief annoyed her, she knew that she could improve, and without her consent her mouth opened and-

"That's why I'm going to join the American Football Team at the high school I join." That got his attention, the laughter stopped, his eyes focused and his back straightened just a tad. A horrible grin crossed his face.

"You won't last a week. They'll eat you alive little girl. They'll fucking destroy you until there is nothing last." He bent his head down slowly and she could see the beginning of a fanatical gleam in his previously laughing eyes. "That's what I do. What I did to those two pieces of trash earlier is nothing compared to how I am on the field. I destroy people." He said it with such relish that it nearly broke her mask.

'How can someone with his gifts be so evil? How can he enjoy destroying other people's dreams? How can he like causing other people pain?'

The weaker Sena would have cried, or ran away or just nodded to everything this predator said. But she wasn't that girl anymore, well she was kinda but she wasn't just that girl anymore. There was something stronger in her now, something that had been missing before, and she refused to run away again.

"I have the right to try."

"It's useless to try, a fucking wimp like you could never stand on the same field as me." At this her smile morphed into something similar to a grin and for a second Agon looked thrown by the response to his taunt.

"Well, I guess when I see you on the field you'll have to apologize."

For just a moment his sneer softened into something that looked suspiciously like a grin and his eyes lost that dark fanatical gleam that she had seen before. It didn't last long but it was enough to encourage her not to back away slowly.

"It'll be a cold day in hell when that happens trash."

"We'll both have to wait and see then. Thank you once again for saving me." With that brisk reply she turned her back on Agon Kongo and started to walk away. She had managed two steps before-

"Hey trash!" Turning round slightly she saw him staring fairly intently at her back.

"What is it stranger-san?" That's right she didn't know him or his name. He twitched at the name.

"As payment for saving you tell me your name." She blinked; surprised at his rather normal demand, then she pretended to frown.

"I thought you had no intention of saving me." He scowled; they both knew that she was playing with him, something that even his brother didn't do. Once again she had no clue why she was doing it, it was surprisingly fun, similar to the feeling _he_ got when he played against strong opponents.

"You thanked me so you owe me one. Now tell me your name fucking trash." She nodded her head in mock surrender to his argument.

"My name is Sena Kobayakawa, and what is yours stranger-san." He sneered and turned his back on her starting to walk in the opposite direction. She shrugged and turned back around, it was probably too much to expect him to be polite with her just because he hadn't beaten her up.

"If by some miracle you do get in a team I'll tell you my name trash." The words could barely be heard as they walked away from each other, as if they were as reluctant to be heard as they were to be said. But hear them she did, and the smile which had started to form transformed into a fully-fledged grin.

She chose to walk home, the school uniform for girls was completely unsuitable for jogging in, and not even the rain managed to dim the grin on her face. She had no idea why she was happy, she just was, and not even arriving home sodden and soaked to the bone was enough to damper her mood. The homework would be completed over the weekend as usual, but instead of settling down to watch TV she went upstairs to her room. The jogging outfit from this morning lay on her bed and she quickly changed into it. Tying the laces on her trainers she yelled to her parents that she was going out.

Before they could voice concerns over the weather she was off. The rain pelted against her back and her toes were becoming damp from all the puddles she ran in. She had already jogged intensively for an hour this morning and her legs still felt a little shaky yet this was something she felt she needed to do.

Shin-san, Agon-san, Yamato-san…all of them, they were all better than her at her current level. If she wanted to improve she would have to put everything into it, it wasn't something that she could do on a whim and give up later. No matter how sore her body got, no matter how much her legs protested she would have to push on because now _she_ had something to prove: Shin-san had wanted to jog with her, she had told Agon-san that she would see him on the field. This was no longer just a vague dream, no longer an experiment to see what she could do because _he_ had. It was something that she had done, this was her go now, her potential to fulfil not some dream-male version of her.

As corny as it sounded it was personal now.

_Congratulations fucking shrimp. You finally got some fucking motivation._

It should have been disturbing, it shouldn't have filled her with pride, but it did.

Maybe the mental health check could wait.

* * *

Shiyuma Kobayakawa loved his wife and daughter. They were the two most important people in his life and he would do anything for them. He loved Mihae, to him she was the most beautiful woman in the world and had one of the kindest hearts, he still felt the same degree of love for her as he had the day they got married. Occasionally he would find himself twitching when she spoke about setting Sena up with a friend's teenage son or encouraging Sena to be more outgoing but he knew that his wife loved their daughter and only wanted her to be happy. Mihae's idea of happiness included love and she was determined for her daughter to find it, even if said daughter didn't want to find it when she was a teenager. He wasn't too bothered; mainly because Sena had shown no real interest in guys and took her mother's words with a shrug and partly because any boy who attempted to date his daughter would have to get through him first.

His number once achievement in life will always be becoming a father; he adores his daughter He may not be as open or as flamboyant about it as his wife but it's plain to anyone who knows him that he loves her. His little girl never fails to make him proud. Occasionally he is concerned about her lack of self-confidence and her shyness but he knows that the people who don't look past that are not the sort of friends she deserves. He knows that Sena will grow up to be as beautiful as mother and that she is far stronger than she appears.

Her 'friends' are not spoken about much, Shiyuma is not stupid and he knows that boys like Arashi Tsugi are trouble. He sees the way that Sena comes home from school with a bent back, sore wrists and hands from carrying things and out of breath from running errands for her 'friends'. It is obvious what is going on yet his daughter refuses to speak up, he's asked her about it, expressed his concerns and she has just shaken her head, smiled, and insisted that she was fine. He knew after their tenth talk about it that it was useless, this was not something he could protect her from, and she had to get out of it herself.

Mamori Anezaki will always have his gratitude for protecting his girl in areas where he couldn't. He knows she has to grow on her own and stand up for herself but it didn't make it an easy pill to swallow.

It is unsurprising that Shiyuma was the first person of the Kobayakawa household to notice the changes in his daughter. One day she woke up from an odd dream and then it was like a switch had been flicked. Sena started to hold herself a little straighter, that submissive aura of a tiny animal is…still there but now the animal has claws, and her stutter has begun to disappear; she still can't meet new people without blushing and staring everywhere except at the person, but it's a start.

There is an odd look in her eye, it's not quite confidence but it's something similar. There is purpose in his daughter, some idea or goal or desire is pushing her forward with a startling intensity.

Whatever it is Shiyuma is glad of it.

That day of the dream had been the first day that Sena had come back without the tell-tale marks that he had seen before. Marks that he hadn't seen for weeks. She did come home once with a bruised lip but had mumbled something about a fall, and then as she was leaving he swore he'd heard her say:

"He won't catch me again."

There were no more bruises after that.

To his surprise she'd started jogging, he knew that her childhood friend Riku had given her some tips on running but Sena had never been interested in sport or exercise before. Whenever she wasn't at school, at mealtimes, at Mamori's house or doing homework she is in her tracksuit jogging out the house. She's started to jog for a little longer now, a little further than before and she's beginning to lose that winded look when she comes back. She's told him where she jogs and the area is very safe, no chance of her running into any unsavoury characters, although his daughter can at times have extremely bad luck, so he's not too concerned about that.

No what's got his father senses tingling is Sena's new jogging partner. Every day without fail Seijuro Shin arrives at 5am and jogs with his daughter for an hour. She told him about it of course but begged him to keep her mother in the dark for a little while, imagining the reaction of Mihae to the news that her shy Sena was voluntary spending time with a teenage boy around the same age he could understand her reluctance.

What he couldn't understand was the connection between his daughter and her new jogging partner. He'd met the boy a couple of times when he had to get up early for work and they were returning from a jog. The boy was an athlete, a driven one at that, he was polite, very serious, straight-forward and seemed to have an extraordinary case of misfortune with technology as he had found out one morning when their doorbell had been destroyed by the boy pressing it too strongly. He was a solemn person and he wondered how someone as shy as his daughter could be so content and relaxed by someone as serious as Seijuro Shin.

He was secure in the knowledge that on Sena's side at least it went no further than a rather odd friendship. He'd asked her about her relationship with the high school student and when he's hinted about something more than friends she had gone completely red and vehemently denied any interest. His daughter could never hide her feelings from him so he knew that, for now at least, a rather strange friendship was all it would remain.

Any concern about the boy was wiped away each day when he saw how happy his daughter seemed. By nature his daughter was a happy person but as the years went on and the bullying continued that part of her personality seemed a little forced, a little faked, and now that was gone. For the truly happy grin on Sena's face Shiyuma would allow her odd bond with Shin to remain her business. If he caught Shin with his hands anywhere on her person though, it would be a different, most likely bloody, story.

For now though, it is the Christmas holidays, Sena's school has broken up, he has a little extra money from a Christmas bonus and he wants to take his two most important people somewhere nice before Christmas. While he approves of Sena's jogging and what it is doing for her confidence he still wants her to enjoy being a teenager. Where to go? Just a few days to relax and enjoy being with his family.

Hmm. Osaka sounded nice. He hasn't visited the Kansai region in a while.

**AN: Exams are finished! My mind has just collapsed from relief, now I just need to put off thinking about the results. Anyway, sorry I made you guys wait but I hope this is worth it. I am stunned by the response to this and just hope I can do the story and you the readers justice. Anyway, Agon has appeared! I don't usually like Agon but I thought I'd give him a fair chance even if what he did to Kurita just makes me so angry. He won' t be in the harem but he'll still be fairly important in Sena's development I want to make their relationship a good learning experience for the both of them, although Agon will be very stubborn. I will try and get chapters out fairly regularly after this and I fully intend to finish. I hope everyone was in IC and I hope you have enjoyed this chapter. Don't worry she will eventually get to Deimon. I've had a lot of reviews either supporting Riku or Hiruma and I only ask that people accept the results of the poll. The poll is still up and it's very close so if you haven't already please vote! Votes in reviews do not count so please go on to my profile.**

**Reviews:**

**SasoLOVE111: **Hopefully it will get better still.

**Wishyuki: **I am planning her to be a lot stronger than male-Sena was at the start of the manga but she won't be Yamato-level either. I'm glad you like it.

**xXxIRISxXx: **The Yaoi couple is going to remain a secret for now and I don't know how obvious I'm going to make it. I'm glad you like my version of fem-Sena

**Msdgirl: **Sorry to disappoint but it wasn't one of the brothers, I wanted something to develop Sena a little further and begin to attempt to write Agon. Thank you for the review!

**Azalie-Kauriu: **Yes I am evil and I do apologize for the delay in between chapters but I didn't want to write something during exam period as it would not nearly be as good as a chapter written not during exams. Yamato did nto appear here but he will be appearing earlier than he does in the manga.

**Heretogetthestory: **Thank you for the luck and the support, hope this was worth it!

**Aoi24: **Thank you for the input on the pairings and I'm glad you like the 'Hiruma-voice' idea. I will respect the results of the poll and I just hope that I can write it in a believable away. Thank you for the review!

**meglepetes: **Sorry for the evil cliffhanger but it was the perfect moment to end it. I'm glad that you support the harem and I'm glad that you and others enjoy this fanfic so much after only three now four chapters.

**SleepyPuppy: **Sorry it's not Hiruma but don't worry he is coming.

**Elma Avalonia: **Poor Sena has no clue about boys which should make future chapters both funny and awkward, for her. The future journal thing has a couple of different plot uses but nothing specific yet though thank you for the idea (evil grin). I've not written yaoi before so this should be very interesting for both readers and me.

**DeLa Lune: **The start of Deimon High School for Sena is going to be different at the moment building her up and creating bonds is the main focus. Thank you for the review!

**jadeevans05: **The time travel aspect of the story is going to impact majorly on the plot and I am going to try and make it fairly original. Shin will play and has played a significant part in her growth so don't worry that will continue. I'm happy that you enjoy my story.

**backupsystem: **I think that Sena's gopher days are behind her. Thank you so much for reviewing each chapter they all made me smile. The 'Hiruma-voice' is very helpful though slightly worrying for Sena's mental state. Unfortunately it wasn't Jyuumanji, I have a different first meeting planned for him. Thank you for the luck and I'm thrilled you enjoyed this so much.

**Iliachenva'ar72: **My schedule has freed up significantly so the summer is looking good for this fanfic I will try my hardest to keep this going, I really enjoy writing it even if at times I'm unsure if I'm writing in character.

**Little Lady Otaku: **The yaoi couple will remain secret but congratulations on guessing right!

**Cielheart Ie'chan: **Here is more and I hope it was worth the wait. There will definitely be some jealousy amongst the boys in later chapters but now Sena is still growing.

**AngeLinks: **I'm glad you LOVE IT. I think this is the only time-travel one but there are plenty of Fem-Sena ones if you're interested in that aspect of the story.

**The0HiddenKey: **Sena's pairings have already been decided apart from the poll and I hope you have done well on your finals. I wish you look too if they're still going on.

**pizzas are immortal: **I'm pleased that this is your first ES21 fic and that you enjoyed it, there are some really amazing fanfics on the site.

**naruke3176: **Meet Agon, a little difficult to write but important for character development.

**Araknofobia: **Merci de votre revue! I'm glad you could enjoy the translated version.

**Midnight Shadow Girl: **Hopefully it will reach the end, though there will be some bumps to smooth out on the way.

**SilencexX: **I hope this chapter hasn't disappointed you and I hope this was soon enough.

**elmms: **I'm pleased you find it exciting.

**Mirae Desciderium: **Here is some Agon for you to enjoy! I am trying to find the balance in Sena between shy and kickass but I think it's getting clearer. Hope you enjoyed this chapter.

**10-iz4: **The twist was a vicious plot bunny that refused to let me sleep until I wrote it down.

**Epoch95: **Yes it was Agon and I'm glad you like it so much!

**peanutkisses: **Here is the continuation.


	5. Osaka Part 1

**Disclaimer: The Eyeshield 21 manga and anime series do not belong to me**

Chapter 5: Osaka - Part 1

"Sena-chan, are you feeling unwell?"

"N-No, kaa-san I'm just a little tired. I didn't get a good sleep last night, that's all." Her mother nodded with a smile and turned back to the front, telling her father that she was fine. Sena looked out of the car window at the other cars and scenery but her mind couldn't focus on anything but this trip. Her reaction when her father had told her where they had been going was to go deathly pale and stare at him with wide eyes. Since then both of her parents had been slightly concerned about her and had decided that she needed a nice relaxing break.

School had broken up two days ago, when she came back from the holidays it would be time to take the high school entrance examination and then it was off to Deimon. It was both thrilling and terrifying to think that it would start so soon, she had been steadily working on her stamina and endurance for the past few weeks and she no longer collapsed after one light-speed dash. With the absence of her gopher duties she'd used the extra time to work on her footwork, which had been the main strength of _his _running, and had been dutifully kicking a rock round and round her neighbourhood. It would be interesting to see how different her first match would be to his.

Sena had never played football before in her life but in her head was the experience of countless numbers of games and training sessions. Her mind had plenty of experiences so hopefully she wouldn't run away screaming at the first sight of a player charging at her but her body lacked it, so many times she had tripped or misjudged a run because her body just couldn't react quick enough to what her mind told her she needed to do. It was as if there was a fuzzy connection between her brain and her legs. The only remedy would be to get some real experience playing some games but for now she couldn't see that changing.

This difficulty wasn't the cause of her slightly odd mood. Sure, a part of her wanted to push on with the training over the holiday but a larger part of her wanted to spend some quality time with her parents and be a normal girl, not one that had dreams of a parallel future. Just to be safe though she had taken the 'timeline' with her, which was something she needed to keep to herself at all costs; her biggest worry was keeping it safe from Hiruma once she eventually joined. The man was ruthless in his hunger for information, and as much as she respected her former captain….her future captain letting him know about her dreams seemed like a dangerous idea, not least because he might just send her to a mental institution. So for now the dreams wold be her secret, a pretty big, potentially-harmful-if-fallen-into-the-wrong-hands, that would be kept to herself.

A secret that made her very aware of the fact that Osaka was the location of Teikoku High School, home to the Teikoku Alexanders. A team that she and the Devil Bats would face in the next Christmas Bowl, not making it was not an option. It was the team that a certain Yamato Takeru, the original Eyeshield 21, had belonged to.

Realistically, she knew that the chances of bumping into anyone she 'recognised' were very low in a city as big as Osaka, but the encounter with Agon-san had seemed just as unlikely and that had happened a day after she crashed into Shin-san and Sakuraba-san. So she was a little twitchy about this trip, it wasn't that she didn't want to meet them, it was just that she didn't feel ready to meet them yet. Besides, what if she did something stupid and the whole timeline got thrown into chaos and the world exploded because of something she'd done!

So maybe she was over-reacting a little but her luck was infamous for being bad and she just hoped it wasn't bad enough to put her through another meeting with someone she knew but didn't. Future parallel dreams were really difficult. Letting out a sigh she rested her head against the seat; this was stupid, it was a four day trip with her parents to a nice city. They'd go to tourist attractions, but some Christmas presents and relax a bit, that was all….and if she happened to do any train-jogging it would be for relaxing purposes only.

With her mood firmly resolved she cast her mind back to yesterday, when she had told Shin-san that she wouldn't be available as a jogging partner for the next four days…

**Yesterday morning – 6am**

As usual the pair came to a stop outside Sena's house. Sena was quite proud to realize that not only was her legs no longer burning or her breaths no longer coming out in pants she had also been able to keep with Shin-san's increase in pace. Every day he would increase the speed just a little and she never let herself fall behind. This was the only training she did with Shin-san and she was determined not to fall under the gaze of her respected rival. It did feel a little strange calling him a rival when neither of them had played against one another…yet.

Her parents were probably still asleep, she didn't think that her dad had to get up early today and her mum usually didn't get up until 7am, so they had a little time before Shin left to do more training; for some reason when her dad was up Shin-san would always seem to leave a little earlier.

As always she turned to him with a smile and gave him a short nod.

"Thank you for jogging with me Shin-san." Even though they had been jogging together for a couple of weeks and she no longer stuttered, as much, in his presence, she was always a little awestruck by him. It wasn't something that she thought she could get over either, there was something about Shin-san which just demanded respect and exuded power. He nodded back.

"I will see you tomorrow at 5 Kobayakawa." She was still too nervous to tell him that he could just call her Sena; her last name was such a mouthful to say. Wait, tomorrow?

"I'm sorry Shin-san but I can't go jogging with you tomorrow." Annoyed and embarrassed that she hadn't told him sooner one of her hands started rubbing the back of her head. Shin blinked and stared back at her, his posture slightly tenser than he had been before. Shin did not do relaxed he only did 'slightly less intense'. She was about to explain about the holiday when he cut across her thoughts.

"Have I done something to upset you Kobayakawa?" The question was so unexpected and unfounded that she was thrown for a couple of seconds and only stared stupidly at him. He seemed to take this as an affirmation and took half a step forward.

Sena felt her body turn to stone as dark grey eyes locked onto her face. It had been a while since he'd looked that intently at her and the words on her tongue screeched to a halt. He was too big, too strong, too there for her to think properly and she felt a little like a rabbit staring down a wolf. It wasn't the same feeling that she used to get with Arashi, mainly because Shin's gaze was a lot more impressive than the bullies but it felt a little similar and she wasn't sure how to feel about it. Normally she would never compare Arashi to Shin-san it was a laughable comparison because of the vast differences between the two and yet…

It was different to when _he _had played against Shin, then Shin-san's eyes had only shown competitiveness, respect for his rival and strength. Now, there was something slightly off about his stare, something that wasn't related to rivalry or competition, she didn't think he even knew it was there. It was an emotion that she hadn't seen before, but it was powerful and made her feel strange. The only word she could describe it with was penetrating but that didn't quite fit either.

"I apologize, my team-mates often tell me that I am 'socially inept' and if I have done something to offend you I did not mean it." There was such power in his gaze that her brain scrambled to process exactly what he had said. When the message finally was communicated she felt her cheeks burn red and she jumped away from him waving her hands; mainly because she was embarrassed but also because she needed some extra space between them.

"N-N-No, I-I think that y-you've misunderstood S-Shin-san." If anything her stutter only made him frown more and his appearance seemed more intimidating. A detached part of her mind thought it was odd how she could be completely unfazed by Agon Kongo after one meeting yet Shin-san who she had now known for weeks still had the ability to completely wreck her composure. Seeing that he was about to move towards her again she quickly hurried on:

"M-my parents and I are going on a h-holiday to Osaka for a c-couple of days. That's w-why I won't be able to jog with you. Shin-san has done nothing wrong!" She could feel her cheeks burning in mortification; she really was rubbish at talking to other people. Noticing that he looked unconvinced, well who would have been convinced by the frantic way she was acting, she took a deep breath and tried to stop moving her hands. The last thing she wanted was to give Shin-san the wrong impression; she'd gotten to know him over the past few weeks and did consider him to be a friend. Perhaps not the same type of friend as Mamori-neechan but a friend just the same. She actually knew some things about him that the boy-Sena hadn't and that made her absurdly pleased for some reason. Perhaps it was the fact that she was starting to make her own story, not just a copy of _his_. Anyway, now she had to correct Shin-san, in a better way than she had before.

For a moment she wondered what it must be like to be Shin-san. Sure he was an amazing player, one of the strongest that she knew, but how did it feel to be cut off slightly from the world of normal people? To be so driven and focused on improving yourself that you start to forget that there is a world other than the field. To be labelled as 'social inept' because you just don't understand the 'rules' of social interaction that everyone else does. From what she'd learned through there odd and short conversations was that all of his friends were a part of the Ojo White Knights. Sometimes people had to pay a steep price for their gifts, one of them being that separation from the world of normal people. With that in mind, she raised her eyes up to meet his, her former embarrassment was hidden under a wall of resolution.

"Shin-san is a very honourable person." This time there was no stutter and she could see the tension disappear slightly. "I don't believe that you could do anything to offend me, I'm very sorry for making you think that you've done something wrong. Please don't feel like it is your fault. My parents really are taking me on a holiday tomorrow. We're going to Osaka for four days so I won't be here to jog with you." With that she somehow find the courage to smile at him, not a normal smile but a beaming one, one that showed exactly how grateful she was to him for helping her, for acknowledging her. "I'm looking forward to continuing jogging with Shin-san when I get back though." Her smile dropped a little but her eyes softened as she spoke her next words. "Shin-san is a very good friend to me." With that her eyes dropped away from his to the floor, she could already feel doubts starting to fill her head.

'What if he doesn't consider me a friend?'

'Have I been too presumptuous?'

'Great, now you've probably made him feel really uncomfortable, and Shin-san is far too polite to say he's not my friend because he doesn't want to hurt my feelings, and now it's going to make everything awkward between us, and he won't want to jog with me anymore, and why couldn't I just keep my big mouth shu-'

"I will see you when you return from Osaka then." Once again his words cut across her thoughts and she was lost in the conversation. Luckily he didn't move forward this time and after a quick shake of her head she was able to speak.

"Mmhmm, I'll be back by Thursday." With that she fully expected the conversation to end and for him to leave. At first it seemed like that was going to happen, Shin turned around and started to walk towards the gate, but he stopped. His movements became almost hesitant, which was a word she'd never thought she'd use to describe him.

"Kobayakawa, it would be very troublesome if you were somehow injured during this trip. Please ensure that you return in no worse condition than you are now. Any injury would be disrupting to your training." His voice was back to its serious monotonous tone but the words seemed slightly out of place.

Was Shi-san asking her to be careful?

Sena felt her mouth curve into a smile. Maybe friendship with Shin-san wasn't as unlikely as she'd first feared it to be.

"I'll be sure to look after myself Shin-san." She said, ridiculously pleased that he was concerned over her welfare. Oh sure, she knew it was probably because he just wanted his jogging partner back in a fit condition to continue jogging in the morning but a small part of her liked to believe that was he because he cared for her, Sena Kobayakawa, as a friend rather than just as a rival, although even she would admit that their relationship was a close mixing of them both.

He nodded and this time when he left there was no hesitation in his movements.

**Present**

That encounter had been odd but made her feel strangely happy. The boy-Sena's relationship with Shin had never really gotten away from American Football, true her relationship with him was about training but it still felt closer than the one that she had seen in her dreams.

Perhaps it would turn out OK for her after all.

Eventually they reached Osaka and Sena got the oddest feeling of deja-vu, _he_ had walked down some of the streets when _he_ had come to scout the Teikoku Alexanders. It was more vivid now because it was in real life, she could feel the pavement beneath her feet, see the lights flashing around her, and hear the people bustling around them getting on with their lives. It felt very surreal.

The hotel her dad had booked was nice; he had rented two rooms for the trip so she had her own space apart from her parents although they would spend most of the holiday together. Despite her resolve to not let her dreams disturb her holiday she couldn't help but feel tense about possibly meeting Yamato-san around a street corner. So she didn't get to sleep until late, when her worrying finally burnt itself out and her eyes snapped shut.

The first day went fine; the three of them just wandered around the city going to some of the sights and just enjoying being temporary free of work or school commitments. Her mum had restarted her attempt of girlifying her again so a section of the day was spent in some of the shops with her mum shoving her gently towards the 'cute' section of the clothing stands. Sena loved seeing her mum happy so she eventually bought two cute dresses, a couple of tops and a skirt to satisfy her. At this point her dad remained safely outside the shops just smiling at his daughter's predicament, and keeping a wary eye out for anyone who tried to approach either of his two girls.

They had dinner in the hotel, and both her and her father completely agreed that her mum's cooking was better. Her mum blushed and said that they were just flattering her but her pleased smile and happy eyes showed how much she enjoyed it. It was Sena's turn to blush when her mum said that she was just a good a cook as she was. Then they both agreed that her father was the most handsome man they knew.

At that point in the conversation Sena's mind couldn't help but supply her with images from her dreams, images of men who maybe, maybe, maybe were more appealing looks wise than her father. A surprising amount of them, well nearly all of them played American football and-

Alarmed at the sudden turn of her thoughts she focused on the dinner and desperately tried to fight the blood rushing to her cheeks, which was a totally inappropriate way to think about them! What's more he was a gu-….She was a girl but it still felt odd and a little wrong to think about them like that. Sure they were guys and she was a girl but, but, but-

Time to switch her thoughts to something safer.

The view from her room really was amazing.

The next day Sena asked her parents if she could wander around on her own for the day. She wanted to give her parents some time alone together and a part of her was itching to be alone with her thoughts for a little while. They had been a little resistant at first but she promised to be careful and not stray too far from the hotel. This she had to promise three times to a rather worried looking Shiyuma who was torn between a desire for private time spent with his wife and concern for his daughter's safety. Then she turned her big puppy dog brown eyes on him and asked him if he didn't think she was capable of being alone.

There was no defence against those eyes.

Sena smiled as her parents walked out of the hotel, glad that they would get some quality time together. She imagined that it must be difficult to get that kind of time together when a child entered the picture. She decided that she would go to a couple of the places she'd been yesterday and have a closer look at one or two shops; this was the perfect time to get Christmas presents for her parents. Grabbing her bag she ran out the door.

Even though it as meant to be a holiday Sena found that she could still do some kind of training during the day. Osaka seemed very crowded and she was able to use her run to cut efficiently and quickly through the people without bumping anyone. It was a good thing she had packed her sneakers because she didn't think she'd be able to walk let alone run in the pair of high heels that her mother bought her yesterday.

It was a busy day and Sena was quite happy to just blend in with the rest of the crowd, an anonymous person amongst thousands, not of any special significance to anyone who might be watching, no sign of any real running ability that might pique the interest of any American Football players, no clue to her real skill that might make a certain Eyes-

OK so maybe she was still a little nervous about running into Yamato-san.

Despite her nerves she was still able to buy her parents some Christmas presents: for her mum she bought a very pretty hair clip and for her dad she found a book written by one of his favourite authors. She had enough to buy a bracelet for Mamori-neechan and that was it, she was done. A smile crossed her features as she imagined how many presents she would have to buy for next year, the three gifts seemed fairly small and lonely, but they represented the three most important people in her life. She knew where Riku was, but communication between them had basically ceased a couple of years after they were split apart. Of course she knew she would see him again, but he wasn't here now.

She was just about to go do a little sight-seeing when an image stopped her. It was an image of intense grey eyes set in an equally intense face.

Shin-san

Should she get a present for Shin-san?

'What are you insane? You've only known him for a couple of weeks, getting him a gift is moving far too quickly! And what if he hates it?'

'But what if he gets me a gift because I called him a friend, then I look even worse! He might think that I wasn't serious about being his friend and then I'll look even worse!'

'But what if-'

_Will you stop it with the fucking doubts! You're giving me a headache you fucking shrimp! Just get him something already; you're too damn soft-hearted to not get him anything._

Knowing it was a very bad thing to actually obey the voice in her head did not stop her from agreeing with it. She would feel much better with her giving him a present and not getting anything in return than him having a present for her and her not having anything to give back.

Now what to get him?

Something American Football related probably.

So with that settled she started to look for some kind of sports shop. It didn't take long to find, and they were having a sale too. Maybe her luck wasn't as awful as she thought.

There were a couple of people inside and she quickly lost herself in the stands, there were hundreds of things to choose from; footballs, shoes, clothing, weights. She had no idea what Shin-san would want. From what she knew of Ojo high school she doubted that Shin would need any extra training equipment, not that she could buy any of the rather ominous looking training machines. Shin was a line-backer so he probably wouldn't need an extra ball at home, more to the point he most likely had extra ones anyway. Shoes were outside of her budget and it wasn't like she could buy him stuff for another sport.

She walked by varied colourful stands full of impressive looking items, but nothing really jumped out of her. Now that she had decided to get him a present she did want to get him something that he would actually want. Then again Shin-san didn't seem like he wanted anything really, well perhaps a rival but that was already taken care of. She wasn't even looking for something big, just something nice.

Wait, what was that?

Just when she was about to try another shop something caught her eye. It was a rather plain looking stand compared to all the rest and it was filled with wristbands. A couple were very bright, one was rainbow coloured, one had strange markings, a couple had brand logos on, and one of them had spikes coming out of it. The one that she liked best though was a plain white wristband; it was just one solid colour apart from the design of a shield on one side, the shield was blue. It looked perfect, and it wasn't too expensive either. Before she could psych herself out of buying it she walked up to the cashier.

It had been a perfectly normal day for Sena, and probably would have continued to be if she had looked where she was going as she walked out the store. Sadly she didn't, too busy examining her last purchase and hoping that he would like it, and this would turn her perfectly normal day into something a little more than normal.

"Oomph." Sena was knocked back a good metre by whatever she collided into. Said object reached forward a hand and grabbed her by the wrist as she was flying backwards. It wasn't a light grip, and she winced at the pressure being exerted on her hand.

"Hey watch were you're walking little girl." The voice was male and sounded pissed. Feeling her day starting to take a turn for the worse she looked up and was met with a very hostile stare from a very big man.

"I-I'm s-sorry s-sir." She really tried hard not to stutter but she really did not do well in confrontations off the field, the man's menacing aura wasn't helping anything either. There was nothing she knew that could help her here, her speed was sealed off by his grip on her arm and even if she had worked on her strength the man's grip was really too strong for her to break. He sneered down at her unpleasantly.

"So you should be brat." Her throat went dry and she really wanted to tug her hand free. Maybe if she was fast enough she could run back to the cashier, hopefully that would be enough for him to leave her alone. Her wrist would probably be bruised for a while. Shin-san would not be pleased.

Then a third hand entered the equation. A fairly slim hand that grabbed the hand holding her, a hand with enough skill to pull her out of the man's iron grip. A hand that looked oddly familiar.

"Now, now, it's really bad mannered to be so rude to such a pretty girl."

Oh no. She knew that voice. Her heart sinking she turned her head. Gratitude warred with shock and resignation as she stared into the eyes of the quarterback and captain of the Hakushu Dinosaurs.

* * *

Marco really disliked men who picked on women, especially when the woman's actions were only accidental. He hadn't entered the shop looking for trouble; it was just somewhere to escape from the busy crowded city outside. It would be the Christmas Bowl in five days and whilst he was going to the Tokyo stadium to watch it he wanted a closer look at the unbeaten 'emperors' that were the Teikoku Alexanders. Next year would be his first year of High School and he wanted to see the team he'd have to beat when he made it to the Christmas Bowl.

He'd stepped into the shop to get away from the crowd of bodies that was waiting outside, the shop had air conditioning too which was a plus and because he was an American football player. There was no higher reason as to why he chose this shop, it was just there.

He probably wouldn't have done anything if it hadn't been for the look in the girls eyes. She looked scared and lost, she had no idea how to handle the situation and he could tell from her face that the bastard's grip was really hurting her. Scaring and hurting a woman were two ways to get him fairly annoyed. If he'd let her go after she'd apologized he most likely would have done nothing and forgotten about the incident 5 minutes later.

Except she had apologized and he still held onto her. Other people in the store were studiously looking away and the fear on the girls face became stronger. Wide brown eyes were staring up at the thug with confused terror, she had a stutter, and looked like she could be knocked over by a strong breeze.

Shit. He had to do something.

The thug may have strength but he had enough skill and strength to counter that.

Bullies like him usually backed down when they were involved in a fight they couldn't win. Pulling the girl to his side, wow she really was light; he kept his gaze locked with the other male's. He could feel that the girl was still shaking and lessened his grip on her wrist, silently telling her that he was here to help. He guessed that her skin must feel pretty sore after that grip the bastard had on her. His annoyance increased a fraction more. The guy didn't respond so he carried on in the voice that his team named the 'captain voice', the voice of someone who expected to be obeyed without question and heaven help you if you didn't.

"Especially considering she apologised for the accident." He could feel the other man eyeing him up, determining how big a predator was he and if he could win. They both knew that the answer was no. This was a fairly smart thug; he could at least recognise a bigger, stronger beast when he saw it.

"Chh, whatever." And with that eloquent response Mr unknown thug walked into the store, leaving him alone with the still shaking girl. Inwardly he bit back a sigh, he was really bad at dealing with sad girls. Still he wasn't a complete bastard and he turned to her with a reasonably charming grin.

"My I guess man hasn't evolved that far from monkeys after all." It was a pretty bad joke but it lessened the tension enough for her shaking to stop. He used the moment to examine her; she was smaller than he'd first though and fairly thin, she had a pretty cute face now that it didn't look scared and the small smile on her face only added to it. She wasn't very developed, come on he was a growing hormonal teenage boy he had to at least look, the complete opposite to Maria in both looks and confidence. He usually compared women he saw to Maria, it was just a habit that had developed in their relationship.

Her legs were…wow. Encased in a pair of tight-fitting jeans were the best pair of legs he'd ever seen. Mentally apologizing to Maria, he risked a second look; they were perfectly toned, so perhaps she was an athlete after all, the muscles looked strong, and there wasn't an ounce of extra fat on them. They were the legs of a runner, and not just any runner those legs looked like they could leave most running backs in the dust. Yet she seemed to lack the confidence that top athletes wore like a suit. They couldn't just be natural though; there were signs of exercise and training.

This girl was getting more interesting.

Realizing that he still had a hold on her wrist he let go and stepped back slightly. Keeping the grin on his face he held out his hand.

"This isn't how I usually meet new people but…My name is Reiji Maruko, but please call me Marco because Maruko sounds like a girl's name." Her response surprised him a little. He expected a stuttering shy voice, perhaps a blush and a refusal to meet his eyes.

What he got instead was a semi-smile, as if she was enjoying her own private joke, a hand held out towards him and when she spoke she looked him dead in the eyes. That was something that no girl, except Maria, had done since he first entered middle school.

"Thank you very much Marco-san. M-my name is Sena Kobayakawa, but everyone calls me Sena because my last name is so long." A slight stutter but not as bad as he had expected and apart from that her voice was fairly clear and strong. He took her hand in his; her grip was sure, not strong but fairly confidant. Where was the girl he'd seen being threatened earlier? And why did her eyes look so big and deep?

He couldn't resist lifting her hand to his mouth. He couldn't resist, it was just in his nature. Her hands weren't completely smooth so she must have done some work with them and her appearance didn't scream girly girl, just a rather plain outfit of jeans and a T-shirt. Her hair was nice and left hanging naturally down her shoulders and back which was a nice change to some of the frankly frightening haircuts he'd seen on some girls. His lips just brushed her palm, and there it was.

A very distinctive red flush crept up her cheeks and he found himself liking the overall picture. The blush only highlighted her features and brought attention to her rather delicate cheekbones. Bad thoughts, time to let go.

For some reason he found himself reluctant to leave. This girl was a paradox; the girl who spoke to him seemed a mile away from the girl he'd rescued earlier. There was something of a mystery about her; her confidence, her shyness, her eyes, her fantastic legs. He loved unravelling mysteries.

"So Sena-chan," there was a slightly lighter flush at the familiarity of his address but she didn't look like she minded too much, "what brings you to the lovely city of Osaka?"

She blinked; surprised perhaps that he had decided to carry on the conversation. Her eyes took on a more cautious look, as if she could tell he was searching for answers and she really didn't want to give them to him. Interesting.

"How do you know I'm not from here?" He grinned again, a slightly more roguish, more playful one.

"Because your bracelet says Tokyo." If he expected her to blush or concede defeat he was disappointed.

"I may have just come back from a holiday in Tokyo."

"You asked how did I know that you're _not_ from here."

"I could have been questioning you're words." He inwardly smirked.

"You said could just then." At this point her rather serious façade broke. So being defensive and stony was not part of her natural personality. She gave him a slight nod and he saw some of the tension leave her shoulders. Once again she met his eyes, and he was a little thrown by them. They weren't the eyes of a stranger, although even if they did they still would be very pretty…he needed to call Maria soon.

"Well played, Marco-san." She grinned back, and her face moved from the cute into the beautiful. Maybe that call could wait for a moment.

**AN: Surprise, I told you there would be quicker updates, and there probably will be for the rest of the month. If anything does come up I will inform you all in the AN's. So I hope that Marco was a surprise, I was and probably will introduce Yamato but then I remembered that Marco was very interested in the Teikoku Alexanders and I saw an excuse to bring him in early. At this point he's still fairly in love with Maria but fear not that will start to change. Sena's feelings on this scene will be shown next chapter. Since I know that I will be busy in the autumn and winter I do want to try and get as much up as possible. Please vote on the poll, it will remain open until Sena goes to Deimon which will eventually happen.**

**Reviews – I now will only be answering reviews with questions in them. Please don't let that put you off your reviews always encourage me to write quicker, as always THANK YOU so much for your support. **

**Heretogetthestory: **Sorry not yet but she won't leave without some contact with the real ES 21

**Elma Avalonia: **At the moment my schedule will probably be once or twice a week. Usually on Wednesday and Sunday but that might change if I have prior commitments and if my muse is co-operative.

**xXxIrisxXx: **Sorry not him but hopefully Marco was just as good.


	6. Osaka Part 2

**Disclaimer: The Eyeshield 21 manga and anime series do not belong to me**

Chapter 6: Osaka – Part 2

Well it wasn't who she had expected to run into but it seemed that the universe still liked thrusting her into awkward situations. There she was having a drink in a café with Reiji Marco the, future, quarterback and captain for the Hakushu Dinosaurs; probably the only man in existence who could possibly control the frightening strength of Rikiya Gaou. To be perfectly honest he scared her more than Gaou-san did, his Screw Bite technique had caused her a world of problems and Gaou had been Kurita's main rival of the game, not hers. Marco was intelligent and sneaky and reminded her of her captain in a lot of ways, he was much smarter than her and that made her very nervous; especially as she had such a big secret to keep. Back in the shop he had given her a fairly piercing look, like he knew she had a secret, she felt that she had to much more cautious around him then around someone like Shin-san or Agon.

Despite her misgivings Sena was slightly glad to see her future opponent, she had enough 'memories' of him to know that he wasn't a bad person and that she could trust him to an extent. It was becoming clear to her that when she met people from her dreams that initial fear and shyness that she always felt when meeting new people disappeared, because in a very weird way she had already met them_. He_ had gone through the first meetings and the awkwardness so she didn't have to, she was still shy and silent but the fear of the unknown was gone; she knew that they were good people, well Agon still had some way to go, and that calmed her nerves enough to act relatively normal around them. If it was someone that she'd never met before in either her dreams or reality she reverted back to the stuttering mess that was Sena Kobayakawa, that instance with the man in the shop for example.

Still, even though she had 'memories' of talking with Marco-kun doing it in real life was difficult. Mainly because she had very, very little experience talking to boys; her mother's efforts had not been very effective up to this point, and it was odd for her to speak to a boy like Marco-kun. Boys like him usually took very little notice of girls like her, and so she had no way of dealing with his….flattery, his compliments, his easy manner and flirtatious behaviour. The only reason why she hadn't reverted back to only answering in one word sentences was that she knew that he had very strong feelings for a certain Maria Himuro, the manager of the Hakushu dinosaurs.

With the knowledge that he wasn't really serious in his words towards her she found the act of conversing much more bearable, it was only a part of his personality and he didn't have any…intentions towards her in any way. This was relieving because if he did then she'd probably break the light-speed barrier just by running away from the café. Shaking that rather disturbing thought from her head she concentrated on sipping her hot chocolate, it was getting very cold now and hopefully there would be some snow tomorrow. It amused her a little to see that even though it was getting towards near freezing temperature Marco-kun was still drinking cola and not anything warmer.

It was nice to see something from her dreams happen in reality; it led more proof to the idea that they weren't just simple imaginations of her brain.

"Now Sena-chan what are you thinking that has you smiling like that?" She rose her head up from her drink and as expected his eyes were on her. It was a sharp reminder of the final game of the tournament; _he_ had felt like prey being hunted by an expert predator, those eyes had never shifted from him when he had the ball.

"I just think it's strange that you're drinking cola when it's so cold, surely a warm cup of tea or something would be better." He gave her a smile and held up the bottle.

"Ah, no matter how cold it is, it is never too cold for me to have my favourite drink." She nodded and took a sip of her own cup. The warm liquid rushing through her body in a pleasant way, banishing the chill that had started to set in.

"Really Marco-sa…Marco-kun" She corrected herself at the slight disapproving gaze he sent her, she was a little uncomfortable with adding –kun but he had insisted. "I'm perfectly fine now; you don't have to waste any more of your time on me now if you have somewhere else to be." There was still a big part of Sena that didn't understand exactly why these men were so interested in her. In her mind she was below average and completely uninteresting; despite the dreams her confidence was still not great.

"Somewhere else rather than having a nice drink with a cute girl who happens to know a lot about my favourite sport? No I assure you Sena-chan I'm perfectly fine here." He gave her that charming grin again and damn it if her cheeks didn't start to heat up again. She just couldn't understand how he could say such…things to her without a trace of embarrassment; no-one had complimented her for nearly ten years and all the flattery was disorientating.

"I don't know that much about American Football, just bits and pieces that I've picked up." It seemed almost inevitable that the two of them had wound up talking about it, it was just such a big part of who they were, well who she was going to be. He had asked her if she played any sport and the conversation had just spiralled from there. To her surprise she had found herself speaking quite a bit to the quarterback and her stutter had by now nearly completely disappeared in his presence.

"You know more than most girls that I know, a fair bit more than some of the guys on my team actually." There it was again, that piercing gaze that seemed to dig right into her mind, desperately searching for answers. She forced herself to shrug and took another sip of chocolate.

"I have a lot of time to myself. You're the one who actually plays it." At this she got a raised eyebrow.

"There isn't a team at your middle school for you to join?"

"No, besides I only started getting really interested in it a couple of weeks ago so even if there was one I don't think that they'd let me join. Besides, I don't know many teams who have a girl as a player." It was true, there was only one girl player in her dreams and she played for Teikoku Alexanders. Karin-san had to deal with players like Kirio Ibarada who resented her for being the 1st team quarterback and a girl. It was another reason for her to pick Deimon, like she needed anymore; Hiruma-san may be insane, evil and incredibly manipulative but he had no problem in using a girl to win. He used whatever was available to him in order to win and as a consequence had been able to lead what was mainly a team of first years, completely new to American Football, to victory at the Christmas Bowl.

"With legs like yours any team captain that turned you away would have to be a total moron." Sena tensed a little and a small frown made its way onto her face.

"Legs like mine?" He leaned forward just a fraction and his grin became something more predatory. She should have felt more scared than she did.

"Surely you must know that you've got the perfect legs for running. I couldn't help but notice them; you must do training of some kind correct?"

"I-I go jogging every day in the morning and evening. I like to jog, its relaxing b-but I wouldn't call it training." Not if she compared to some of the practice sessions the Devil Bats had and the Death March of Doburoku-sensei.

"Don't be modest, those aren't the legs of someone who just jogs for fun, they're built for speed." A mutual sipping of drinks, eyes locked firmly on their opponents; one determined to conceal the other determined to reveal.

"I couldn't say, I've never played in a real match before." She freely admitted that she couldn't compete on an intellectual level with Marco-kun. Simple was what she was good at, she wasn't good at hiding things or mind games or those weird conversations that seemed to be full of secret messages. Those sorts of things she left to Mamori-neechan and Hiruma-san. However, she couldn't help but recall what Hiruma had said at _his_ first match when Shin-san and Sakuraba-san had come to scout.

_I don't want to show our hidden gem off, since he'll work on a counter measure._

She didn't want anyone knowing her real ability just yet. Especially someone like Marco who would definitely think of a way to seal it away. It was better for him to think of her as just a slightly fast amateur jogger, even though she really hated lying to people. Even people who she had just met, sort of, like Marco. He was now sipping his cola whilst keeping his gaze trained on her, which wasn't helping her panicky mood at all.

"You are a very interesting girl Sena Kobayakawa." These words were spoken in an odd tone, it wasn't the usual confidant, charming drawl that she had come to expect, it was a tone that hinted at the true brain behind the flashy appearance.

"No I'm not Marco-kun." She smiled. "I just want to play American Football." This she spoke with absolute truth and belief, it was going to happen, she was going to make it happen no matter what. She caught sight of the clock and all the blood left her face. Marco nearly dropped his cola when she jumped up as if someone had set her chair on fire.

"Oh no! I am going to be so late. My parents are going to be so worried! What are they going to think? I promised that I would be back by now! I'm an awful daughter! They're never going to trust me again! What am I going to do?" At this point the frantic girl resembled some sort of cute fluffy animal hyped up on coffee with the way she was bouncing around and waving her eyes. He could only watch with bemused eyes as his formally serene companion transformed into a jumping ball of worry. He allowed himself to enjoy the image for a couple of seconds before attempting to calm Sena down.

"I'm sure they won't be too mad. You're not that far from the hotel." She had told him where she was staying on the way to the café.

"I know but…I'm still late and my dad can really worry about me. I better go." At this point she had stopped acting like a pogo stick on overdrive and was rubbing the back of her head in a sheepish manner.

Marco frowned, He had enjoyed talking to Sena, she was a really nice, intelligent girl, who was also very cute, and he didn't know many other girls like her. Apart from Maria of course. Very few people at Hakushu middle school understood his drive for the top, his need for constant practice and his love of the game. They admired his skill, as they should, but very few understood or had that drive which pushed him forward. The very fact that he was here was a result of his team telling him that it was pointless to aim for number one. That just didn't make sense to him.

How could anyone not want to be number one?

He would admit to himself that his promise to show Maria the morning sunshine after the victory was influenced by this attitude but…being the best was ingrained into his being, becoming the best was worth everything to him. At times it felt like he was the only one who had this drive.

Until he had bumped into Sena.

She hadn't just nodded blankly at his words. She had sat forward, truly listening to what he was saying but the biggest give-away had been her eyes. No matter how blank she looked or how well she could control her face it was plain to him in 5 minutes that the best way to read Sena Kobayakawa was to look into her eyes. Not only because they really were quite adorable, but also because, without fail, they revealed every emotion she felt and every thought that ran through her head. She would be an awful card player.

Those eyes had burned with the same desire that his did; the desire to become number one, to overcome all obstacles in the way. She had the same drive that he did, he could hear it in the way she spoke about the sport; no way had she only learnt 'bits and pieces' about it. This was somebody who knew the game, and knew it well. Why she hid it was a mystery to be puzzled over at a later date. Right now he wanted to make sure that this pleasant surprise didn't just walk out of his life completely.

He still wasn't 100% why he couldn't just let her go with a simple goodbye. She was a random girl who he had helped get out of an awkward situation, that was all. A stranger he had met coincidently, a girl who lived in Tokyo and was just on a trip here like him. The only thing connecting them was a sport. A sport which she didn't even play. Sure she was nice to talk to but so were students at his school, she was cute but he knew prettier girls, she was interesting but not enough to justify keeping the acquaintance going.

Yet he found himself reaching out to her.

"Hey Sena-chan." He managed to call out just before she bolted out the door, and if her legs were as fast as he thought they were he would never find her again. Her head snapped around, her eyes showed warring emotions of confusion, panic, and a need to be polite.

"Yes Marco-kun?" Wow, her fingers were actually twitching with her need to leave. Did this girl ever sit still?

"I was wondering if I could get your phone number. It seems a shame to let such a beautiful friendship end so suddenly before it's really begun." He knew it was odd to ask for his number but he couldn't let this girl walk away without some hope of speaking to her again.

"M-My number? Oh! It's uh…." Her face went pale again. "Oh I'm so sorry Marco-kun but I don't have a mobile phone. My parents have said that they'll give me one once I'm in high school. I think they're worried that weirdos might come after me if-"

He raised an eyebrow.

Sena entered full scale panic-apology mode.

"N-not that I think that Marco-kun is a weirdo! I know that Marco-kun is a very nice normal person! My parents just think that I can't be trusted to take care of myself! To be fair they have a point. I've been bullied in all the schools I've gone to. I still manage to trip over the stairs in my house, I've fallen out of a window once or twice and I was once nearly hit by a car! So it's no wonder they don't trust me with a phone, I'm not very aware of my own safety. You saw the way I acted with that guy in the shop; I think I'm just a magnet for trouble…N-Not that Marco-kun is trouble either! Marco-kun has been a perfect gentleman, I'm the real weirdo. I don't even have a mobile phone yet! No-one's ever asked for my number before, and I-!"

At this point Marco felt like it was time to step in before she ran out of air. He gently put a hand on her shoulder and eventually her constant stream of words trailed off into silence.

All he could do was look down at the girl in front of him. He'd never had an apology as long, crazy, jumbled, or as sincere as the one she had just…attempted, and he was unsure how to react to such purity. Sena seemed so innocent and naïve that he didn't quite know how to act around her. He could tell she wasn't exactly comfortable with his flirting but he could tell that she wasn't taking him too seriously either. Such an unusual girl.

He really did want to keep in contact.

So phone numbers were out, and he didn't think these overprotective parents of hers would be fine with him calling the home phone number. Well there was always-

"Do you have a personal computer or laptop?" She nodded slowly and he smiled reaching into his pocket for a pen. Taking one of the café napkins he scribbled something down before handing it to her. She took it slowly, as if it might bite her and glanced at what he had wrote.

"This is…."

"My email address yes." She made a move for the pen but he held up a hand. "No, I think it's best if I leave it entirely in your hands Sena-chan. If you decide that I haven't been too much of a creepy weirdo then I'd love to hear from you. If not then it's my fault for being too forward and I apologize for making you feel uncomfortable. It's up to you Sena-chan." This time his smile was more real and less suave.

Sena found herself staring stupidly at the quarterback, this was….unexpected. She didn't think that she'd seen Marco behave this…softly? to anyone else apart from Maria. He was giving her a choice.

The sensible thing would be to take the email address and then throw it away later. He was a formidable opponent without knowing much about Eyeshield 21. Marco was a ruthless tactician, who didn't mind if others got hurt if they stood between him and the top.

She could still feel that ice cold terror of seeing Hiruma injured on the ground, in what was probably a severe amount of pain.

It was scary seeing her invincible Devil Commander looking so frail.

She didn't want to repeat that moment; she would make sure it didn't happen…somehow.

She risked a glance at Marco. This wasn't the same man she would play against next year. This was the Marco before he was convinced that brute strength was the only thing needed to win. He didn't seem as severe, as threatening as her 'memories' told her.

He had helped her. He was nice, and he looked like he really wanted to keep in contact with her. He could become another friend.

Friend. Such a small word, yet it meant so much to her. She only used to have two friends: Mamori and Riku, Riku had moved away and Mamori was more and older sibling than a friend. _He_ had many friends, true he also had enemies, but from what she could tell _he_ had never regretted taking that first step onto the field. _He _had cherished every bond he had made and wasn't afraid to stand with them.

She wanted that desperately.

Already her life felt different, better, and that was just with the inclusion of Shin-san. That was a bond which _he_ had never pushed past rivalry but to her, Shin was a friend. True, a rather odd one, but one that pushed her forward when she thought about giving up. Even Agon, in a round-about way, encouraged her to get stronger.

She felt stronger with them behind her. Her speed may be her weapon but her friends were part of the fuel it ran on.

With that in mind she folded the napkin up and put it in her bag. She still wasn't exactly sure whether or not she would use it, but she wanted to have the option. Maybe she could-

OK now she really was late.

"I-I really need to go M-Marco-kun. Goodbye." Her dad was going to be so worried. He seemed to realise the urgency wrestling with politeness within her so he took a step back and gave a small flourish of a bow.

"In that case I will release you from my company. I hope that I will hear from you soon Sena-chan." She gave him a weak smile and a moment later she was out the door, unaware of the sharp; eyes that followed her every move.

Marco sat back down and picked up his cola bottle. There was still a little liquid left and he wanted some time to himself to ponder this mysterious new acquaintance.

"Sena Kobayakawa huh?"

* * *

Needless to say Shiyuma was not exactly ecstatic to discover exactly why she had been late, but his quiet displeasure was completely drowned out by the happiness of Mihae. Mihae was thrilled that Sena seemed to be getting more comfortable around members of the opposite sex, she loved her daughter dearly and couldn't help but feel concerned that she seemed so introverted at times.

Sena thought it best not to tell her mother that she felt more at ease around guys because in her dream-world she had been one for about three years. It was true that there had been a couple of times when she had to consciously remind herself that she was a girl not a boy. The only issue with that was she felt much less comfortable around guys if she was conscious of her gender.

She really did not want to go through gender-confusion as well as all of the other stuff currently going round in her head.

The next day they decided to stay as a family and the three Kobayakawa's left the hotel as one group. The weather was beautiful and usually Sena would be very happy to just soak up the sun and the atmosphere of Osaka but her mind kept replaying her interaction with Marco from the previous day. Her feet worked on auto-pilot following her parents as they navigated through the busy streets of Osaka.

The napkin was shut safely away in her suitcase but she could almost feel the words on it staring at her. This was a situation which she had no idea how to deal with. The boy-Sena had never interacted much with other players outside of games unless it was for training or if they just ran into each other by accident. Off the football field he reverted back to the shy, quiet boy he was and it had taken him a while to get used to having three of his former bullies being his friends. Not even her dreams could help her much in this predicament.

She didn't want to be rude, but the fear of changing things was still pretty strong. What if she ended up doing something that altered the way things were meant to be? What if something went wrong? What if she made things different?

_Would that really be so bad fucking shrimp?_

'What?'

_Why the hell shouldn't you try to change things? You've got the most important weapon of all._

'My legs?'

_NO YOU FUCKING SHRIMP! You're dreams of the fucking future idiot! Why can't you use it to change things?_

'Because, everything went so well last time and I don't want to ruin it'

…_You call getting my arm fucking broken a good thing?_

'NO! Of course not, but I-'

_You've already started to change things idiot._

...

_You've got that monster Shin as your jogging partner. You're already at a way higher level than that fucking weakling in your dreams was when he started. You know the rules now, you know the game. Whether you like it or not it is going to be different you damn shrimp. The question is do you resist it or do you try to change as much as possible._

Images of future failures ran through her head, failures that didn't have to happen. Injuries that could be avoided.

_It's your fucking decision._

Maybe-

"Look out!" Someone screamed, sharply cutting across her inner debate. Her head snapped up and as she took in the scene her body reacted on auto-pilot.

A little girl had dropped a doll or teddy of some kind in the middle of the road. Her parents had been arguing and she had run back out into the road, and the traffic lights had changed. There had been a chorus of screams and yells, one or two even reached out as if hoping their arms would stretch long enough to save the child. The cars were already moving and for a moment it looked like a horrible accident was about to happen.

Or at least it would have if two blurs hadn't sped towards the little girl. One blur was significantly larger than the other but the smaller one was just a little bit quicker.

If Sena thought her encounter with Marco had been odd…

In that moment though all she was focused on was the little girl clutching her doll in the middle of the road. The world had blurred and narrowed to a single tunnel of focus; her target was in sight and nothing was going to derail her from her course. Her legs were burning again, but it was a good burn, it wasn't pain and her muscles weren't screaming at her to stop like they had been. Light-speed running was once again possible without causing her to collapse.

Things had changed.

That was her thought as she grabbed the girl and carried her away from the speeding vehicles. So focused on her task she didn't take not of the widening eyes of the spectators or the narrowing eyes of the one who had also tried to save the girl.

Her feet screeched to a break as they hit pavement and as the adrenaline started to recede she became aware off the eyes on her. Amidst the burst of applause, the thanking from the grateful parents, the hugging from the girl she had saved, and the calls from her own parents, she felt a stare.

It was like when _he_ had seen Panther on the goal posts. That feeling of being watched by a predator, an animal that had seen its prey and wasn't going to let it out of its sight no matter what. Only this felt stronger, more determined, more eager to fight. The first time that _he_ had met Panther he was a caged animal that had been released into the wild for the first time. He had still been a new predator, inexperienced and a little naïve about the jungle he had entered.

Not these eyes.

These eyes belonged to a veteran hunter, a dangerous adversary who knew how to catch his prey. They reminded her of Shin-san, Akaba-san, Kakei-san, Agon-san, Marco-kun…the other experienced hunters she'd encountered. Her shoulders slumped.

She recognised that stare.

With a due sense of dread she craned her head to the side and sure enough, there he was.

* * *

Takeru Yamato. The Emperor of the Teikoku Alexanders. The real Eyeshield 21. Currently the strongest runner of the era.

He was staring at her with a startling intensity, and slowly a grin started to appear on his face. A blinding, excited grin that screamed danger to her, and she could feel her legs starting to twitch.

Had she thought it was going to be a relaxing holiday?

Yamato had nearly forgotten this. The thrill of the chase, the enjoyment, the narrowing of the world to a single target. He had been beaten. Someone was faster than him. Someone who could stand against him. It wasn't a frustrating loss, it was one he had been waiting for.

It was a girl. Which was slightly surprising but he wasn't foolish enough to dismiss her because of that. At Notre Dame there had been one or two female players and they had been just as skilled as their male team-mates.

She was tiny, and for a second he wondered if she actually was an athlete, but he remembered that run, the way she held the girl. That wasn't something that could be acquired naturally. There were clear signs of training. She had just run faster than him, she could hit 4.2 seconds over 40 yards and she wasn't panting or gasping for breath. There weren't any signs of strain and just before she'd stopped he had seen that gleam in her eyes.

This girl was definitely an American Football player.

If he hadn't been looking for signs she would have appeared to be completely normal, though very cute. Her body wasn't bulky or even slightly muscled, those arms of hers looked fairly frail, and she lacked the presence that top class players possessed.

But her legs…Wow. Just wow.

They were stunning. Golden legs, that could run against him.

It was going to be his first year of high school next year. He would be in a team with top players from across the country, and be able to play in the Christmas Bowl as Teikoku had been able to for the last three decades. He would admit to getting complacent, there hadn't been a single Japanese player who had been able to stand against him.

Until this girl had appeared like a meteor, shooting straight past him in a blaze of light.

She must have felt his stare because the next thing he knew he was gazing into a pair of brown eyes that were locked solely on him. A smile started to form on his face. This was going to be interesting.

**AN: OK I know I said that I was going to try and update on Sunday but my university is throwing a lot of end-of-exam events and I've been pretty busy. I will try and update again this week though. I know at the moment it seems like I'm throwing every character at Sena but I need to lay some foundations for the future. I think that after another 2 chapters (3 at most) I'll be ready to start the actual story, I apologize for the wait. The version of the manga I'm using is the one online at mangapanda if anyone was interested. I can't believe I've had 100 + reviews after only 5 chapters, you guys are so amazing. I'm not completely happy with this but I needed to get it out. I currently don't have a Beta reader but I may get one, at the moment it's just me checking and things are getting through. Please vote on the poll it's still up!**

**Review Questions:**

**Nightmaric: **At the moment Sena's going to be the only one who knows, no-one really knows her well enough for her to share with anyone but it's a plot idea that I'm going to keep open so who knows? Is the real answer.


	7. Osaka part 3

**Disclaimer: The Eyeshield 21 manga and anime series do not belong to me**

Chapter 7: Osaka – Part 3

'Oh No'

Those were the two words spinning round and round in Sena Kobayakawa's head. The only two. Every other thought had been vanquished by shock, horror, and a now familiar feeling of resignation. Looking back at this moment Sena couldn't honestly say why she did what she did.

Maybe it was stress from keeping the secret of her dreams from everyone she knew.

Maybe it was fear.

Maybe things were just happening too fast for her to be comfortable with. She had yet to fully think over her meeting with Marco yesterday.

Or maybe it was because she was just a 14 year old girl who suddenly had to handle something that was life-changing and she still wasn't sure how to deal with it.

Whatever the reason, in that moment all Sena wanted to do was get away. Get away and just think. Her life before the dreams may have been boring and slightly lonely, but it was safe, it was secure, she could usually predict what would happen each day, and she rarely had to deal with new situation. That dull, routine that had been her life had suddenly been upheaved and twisted into something that was new.

Sena was scared of the new.

She was trying to deal with it. There were things that she had accepted, acknowledgements that she had made, and she was looking forward to starting high school and becoming one of the Devil Bats. The new people that had entered her life weren't unwelcome, and the changes she had made in her life were beneficial. These she could admit to freely.

But it was still happening to fast.

This was a speed that she couldn't handle. Seeing Yamato-san was the last straw, and as in most situations that she couldn't handle her body reacted on autopilot.

She fell back to her primary weapon. Her one defence in a world that was constantly trying to push her down. Her legs.

Dimly, she registered her mouth speaking. Some mumbled words about seeing her parents back at the hotel, that she didn't feel well and needed to take a rest. The concerned 'OK' from her father was all she needed. The little girl was placed on the floor in an almost robot-like fashion and then…

She ran.

There was a small crowd between her and Yamato and from what she 'knew', Yamato-san was not the type of person to injure innocent bystanders to chase after her. If they were on a football field it would have been a very different story. Even if he had gone after her she had some of the best footwork in Japan; crowd navigating had become a speciality of hers.

Left. Right. Straight ahead. Left, Zig-Zag. Spin. Right.

The path was clear, if a little narrow, but she had made it through worse and most of the crowd was standing still, staring at the little girl and the area of what could have been a horrible accident. Staying still was fatal for her. Her world was movement, speed, and adrenaline. This was where she felt at her most confident, at her most powerful, where nothing could catch her. It was where she was in control.

The location of the hotel was imprinted firmly in her mind. Directions could sometimes be a weak point of hers but she had spent yesterday reminding herself where the hotel was so that she didn't get lost. At the moment it was a safe spot. A place of retreat from the world that was suddenly moving too fast for her to keep up.

Later once she calmed down, she'd feel very embarrassed and not a little humiliated at her minor breakdown on the streets of Osaka. She would feel a little guilty for making her parents worry, and a little apprehensive about what would happen when they returned. There would also be a tiny amount of regret, for not staying, for not facing up to her rival the way she had with Marco, Agon and Shin. Now though she was running away again, too afraid to face the consequences of what may happen, that fear was still inside of her. It gnawed away at her new confidence. It corrupted any hope she had for the future. It powered that instinct to flee rather than to fight. It was the biggest obstacle in her way and she would have to face up to it sometime. She didn't want to run away again, that was the choice she had made for her entire life and all it had done was made her scared and lonely. She hadn't had friends; she had had guardians to ensure her safety. That wasn't the sort of person she wanted to be anymore. To be different she had to overcome the fear that had hung over her like a cloak for as long as she could remember.

Not yet though. She wasn't ready to beat it yet. She had to grow first.

As she collapsed on her bed and stared at the ceiling she was startled to feel a certain amount of wetness around her eyes. Circumstances had to allow for puberty hormones, and slightly unstable emotions. She wiped them away quickly and curled into a ball, everything was just too big.

Why of all the billions of people on the planet was she the one with strange dreams about the future? Why was she chosen to remember details of a parallel Sena's life? Why not someone who could handle the knowledge properly? Why not Hiruma, Musashi, Kid etc.? Why her?

She wanted to talk to someone. She wanted to ask someone for help. She couldn't though, they didn't know her here. Plus, although she knew that she would be able to trust her teammates and friends with many things, subtlety wasn't exactly their strong point. Thinking about Monta attempting to keep a secret made her inwardly wince. He was one of the best people _he_ knew and had been one of _his_ closest friends, but quiet he was not.

Minutes passed and she just lay there, letting her thoughts whirl round and round in her head. The emotions that had been so strong and consuming began to weaken, rational thought took hold of instinctive commands and the tears in her eyes began to stop. Her breathing evened out and she could feel her heart rate starting to slow down. She raised one arm up and pressed it across her eyes.

"What have I done?"

_You ran away you fucking shrimp!_

It had been so quiet and still in the room that the voice actually caused her to jump. With a muffled shriek she jumped off the bed, and managed to hit her head on the floor. It hurt quite a bit.

"Ow! What was that for?"

_Fucking Shrimp! I thought you weren't going to run away any more like a fucking coward?_

"I couldn't help it I was panicking."

_Why the hell were you panicking! What could have gone wrong?_

"I-I d-don't know, b-but it c-"

_Don't give me any of your pathetic excuses! You fucking ran away like a coward!_

"I-I k-know that b-bu-"

_There was nothing to panic about. Your parents were there what could that fucking Yamato do that would scare you? Your dad's like a bodyguard around you nothing could have hurt you._

"That wasn't w-why-"

_Then why the hell did you ru-_

"Because I was scared that I couldn't handle it! I know I'm not good at meeting new people and I've never met so many in such a short space of time. I don't know what to do. I know these people, but there also strangers." She was breathing heavily again but the voice had been rendered silent. She let herself speak the truth. "I want to be their friend but I don't know how to be. I don't know how to react to all these people who are so different to me. They're the super players of American Football; they're respected, popular, skilled, good lo-…on a completely different level to me. I respect them and I want them to acknowledge me. But I can't do that at the moment, I'm not ready yet and I didn't want to meet them like I am now. I don't like the uncertainty of changing what could be a great future. How do I know what I change will be good? How do I know what to do? I'm on my own and it feels just too much for one person to handle."

She sat up straight on the bed and took in a deep breath.

"I don't think I'm the right person to deal with it." She looked up at the mirror hanging on the opposite wall. Dry brown eyes locked onto the face reflected there. The eyes in the glass showcased perfectly the conflicting emotions inside. The girl in the glass looked weak and wimpy at first glance. The more she stared though, the more she noticed things. Things like the straighter way she held her head, the lack of shaking, the long-time that she could hold her gaze, the lack of that weak submissive smile that had been on her face for about 10 years and the confidence that had replaced some of the fear. She swallowed her suddenly dry throat.

"But I'm the only one who can at the moment. I have to do it."

No reply

"I still need to get stronger though." There was silence for a few seconds before she stood up and went to her bag. Pulling out a clear folder and a pen she cross legged on the bed and reviewed the timeline she had written down a couple of weeks ago. She had gotten up to the start of the Autumn Tournament. Since she was finally completely alone she decided to add a couple more things to it.

_Play Amino Cyborgs – win (first use of the Devil Bat Ghost)_

_Taki takes Deimon entrance exam – Passes_

_Ojo White Knights vs Sankaku Punks – Ojo win_

_Deimon vs Yuuhi Guts – win_

_The Hashiratani Deers vs Kyoshin Poseidon – Poseidon win_

_Deimon vs Dokubari Scorpions – win_

_Deimon vs Poseidon – win_

_See Riku again_

_Deimon field day_

_Deimon vs Seibu Wild Gu-_

Deciding to stop there she looked down the, now fairly large, list of things that would happen once she entered Deimon. The word 'could' didn't even enter into the equation, she had enough proof to believe they were true. Sena was the first to admit that intelligence was not her strongest attribute. She couldn't think of devious plans like Hiruma-san or Kid-san, she wasn't as academically smart as Yukimitsu-san or Mamori-neechan and she knew this. Sena liked things simple and to her at least, there was enough evidence to put her faith in the dreams. She wanted them to be true, with a want that frightened her a little.

She read over the words scrabbled in messy English and as her eyes took in each scribbled line images and sequences played themselves over and over in her head.

The first match.

The brutal thud of being tackled for the first time.

The jarring impact of running into Sakuraba.

A demon's laugh. A friendly giant's smile. A neechan's worry.

The friendly pat on the back from a friend who maybe just slightly resembled a certain mammalian species.

The terrifying journey up Hell tower.

The smiles of her new teammates as they drew against Taiyo Sphinx.

She wanted those memories to become real. She wanted to experience them for herself. Like before she felt her resolve starting to form, hardening into something strong and firm. Her fear may still be holding her back now, but it wouldn't for much longer. She refused to act like she had just done in front of Yamato-san. The fear may overcome her again, but not without a decent fight.

Her eyes lingered on a napkin poking innocently out of her bag. Carefully holding the timeline she pulled out the email address that Marco had given her. It was impossible for her to do anything in Osaka, the only computers she had access to were at home or at her middle school, but she was going to do something.

If her fear had kept her from meeting Yamato-san, then her resolve was going to ensure that she kept up her acquaintance with Marco-san. In her head she just couldn't add the –kun suffix yet. Turning away someone who could potentially be her friend was stupid, and she was done being stupid.

* * *

Yamato very rarely felt frustrated. He lived a comfortable life, had good friends, played the best sport in the world, and had every chance of succeeding in whichever path he chose to take. Most who knew him, knew him as the happy, smiley, go-lucky star football player who never frowned or got angry. Only a select few had seen him truly angry, the anger and frustration which he usually pushed deep down inside, locked it away in a steel box until it was ready to be used on the field. It was this which powered his ultimate attack Caesar's Charge,, thee attack which had earned him the title Eyeshield 21.

Yamato felt frustration and anger as deeply as the next person, he just knew how to hide his and store it until it was needed.

Which was what he was doing with his current feelings.

She had run away from him. After all his searching for an equal, all the disappointment, a rival had appeared. Like a shooting star she had shot out before him and for the millisecond when their eyes had met he knew that she had felt the same thing. That same spark or rivalry and competition. For a moment the roar of the people and traffic had faded until it was just them two; he had actually felt the cleats on his feet and the snug fit of his helmet on his head. Then for a reason he couldn't imagine she had changed. Her aura became that of a frightened rabbit not a fellow player on equal standing.

Her eyes had become a rapid slideshow of emotions and he felt dizzy just remembering all the things that had flashed through those expressive brown orbs. Then he had made the stupid mistake of blinking, such an idiot who needed to blink? and the next thing he knew he was staring after her quickly retreating back. His body had reacted on instinct and one foot had been raised after her when he realised exactly where he was.

If he ran after her he would undoubtedly hurt someone. Yamato was well aware of his own strength and he didn't want to risk hurting anyone. She didn't seem to have that problem his mind said as his eyes followed the blur zig-zagging through the crowd with ease. Her footwork was just as impressive as her speed. Excitement warred with frustration and he longed to run after her, to feel that thrill he had experienced before.

Damn it why had she run? He wasn't a scary guy…usually, and he was always polite to girls. (His mother would have taken his head off had she heard he hadn't) It wasn't like he wanted her to do anything unreasonable; just join the football team in her high school and win enough matches until he could play against her. He didn't even know if she was from Osaka or not. He had nothing to go on. Just a memory and a feeling. It was turning into a really good/bad day. How was he meant t-

"Oh my, I wonder what's wrong with her? The car didn't hit her did it."

"No Sena's fast enough to have missed the car. I think she's just feeling a little ill." If he had been an animal you would have seen his ears perk up and his head whipped round to see the four adults speaking to one another. Two of them were the little girl's parents; well if the way they were hugging her to them was any clue, but the other two intrigued him. They looked married and from what he could make out they both had brown eyes and brown hair. Could they be-

"Is Sena your daughter?"

"Yes, she's our own little girl. My name is Mihae Kobayakawa and this is my husband Shiyuma Kobayakawa."

"A pleasure to meet you."

So maybe today wouldn't be too awful after all then. He had a name. A name to that shy frightened face and those unbelievable legs. Sena Kobayakawa. Usually he was pretty bad at remembering names, faces of opponents tended to blur into one unless they really stood out and he rarely interacted with people apart from his parents outside of sport. Still, this was a name he would have to remember, a face he would have to imprint in his mind and a speed that he wanted so badly to chase. Realising that he had missed part of the conversation he quickly focused on the four adults, who were luckily still speaking.

"So do you live in Osaka?"

"Ah, no. We're just here for a bit of a Christmas holiday. We actually go back to Tokyo tomorrow."

"It's a lucky thing that you were here then-"

Noticing that the crowd was starting to dissipate and that standing like an idiot blatantly eavesdropping was not a good impression to leave he started walking away in a random direction. He knew the city well enough to navigate its streets and was in no danger of getting lost.

Sena Kobayakawa was from Tokyo. This meant the only chance of him playing against her currently rested on the Christmas Bowl next year. He had no doubt that he and the Teikoku Alexanders would make it to the Tokyo stadium but the Tokyo team that made it was always the Shinryuji Nagas; the team from the boys only high school. They were always beaten by Teikoku, true, but they were the best team that the East had to offer, and if they didn't accept girls then the chances of him playing against Sena Kobayakawa were slim indeed.

Blugh. Saying, or thinking, Kobayakawa each time he said her full name was needlessly confusing. He'd just stick to Sena from now on.

Anyway, it was nearly impossible for Sena to play against him in the Christmas bowl. He'd have to find another way. A bright grin suddenly appeared on his face, momentarily stunning the people walking towards him, the Christmas Bowl that he would play in was a whole year away and he wanted to see if she really was as good as he first thought. That may have just been a very, very, very lucky run. He wanted to know if she was as good as her speed promised she would be. To do that he would have to see her before running against her.

How many Kobayakawa's were in Tokyo?

* * *

Sena was in right in thinking that her parents would be worried. After reassuring them multiple times that she really was feeling better and she had only been a little shaken by the incident they agreed to let her go out for dinner with them. The food was good, and as always when she was alone with her parents she felt completely at ease. Her stutter disappeared, her face was open and her smile genuine. This was the true Sena, the Sena that was buried underneath the nerves, the lack of confidence, and the gopher mentality. It was the core of who she was and both her parents wished that she was comfortable enough with the world to display it more often.

The next day it was time to pack and return back to Tokyo. As it turned out Sena and her mother where the same in their worry over travelling. Mihae must have asked her husband 6 times if he'd packed his shoes and Sena checked on the presents about the same amount of times. Sena was terrified of leaving her timeline behind but she didn't want to check too many times in case her parents got suspicious. She didn't think she'd be able to relax until she had it in her hands in her own room.

Marco's napkin was also tucked away safely, out of the sight of both her parents, and she wondered what she'd put in her first email to him.

* * *

Shin stared at the calendar on the kitchen wall. Today had been exactly four days since Sena Kobayakawa had left on her trip to Osaka. She had told him that by today she would be ready to resume their morning jog together. Shin was pleased with this. After so long with her as his partner he had grown used to the sound of a second pair of feet alongside his own, the silence of the last four days had been oddly unnerving. Now that school had ended he had more time to train but his schedule seemed slightly off without the morning jog.

Hopefully Sena had not sustained any injuries as he had asked. That would render her unable to jog and his training would continue to suffer for it. Oddly enough the image of Sena being injured caused a rare flash of anger to rush through the stoic teen, and his hand started to reach for an imaginary glove. Shaking his head he left for the Kobayakawa house.

A knock on the door.

Something inside of him relaxed when he heard the familiar scrambling noises that indicated someone was inside. Since there were no signs of forced entry he assumed that the Kobayakawa's had returned. The door opened and he was met with a reassuring sight. Sena Kobayakawa, dressed in running gear with trainers, answered the door with a small smile. She was back.

"S-Shin-san. Good morning." Her voice was pleasing to hear too.

"Good morning. I see that you have returned safely form Osaka." She nodded and brushed a piece of errant hair out of her eyes.

"Y-yes it was a r-really good trip. I-I really enjoyed it."

"Shall we begin?" She nodded and stepped outside to join him. Shin was just about to start their normal route when his eyes locked onto something that caused him to pause for a moment.

Seijuro Shin did not remember faces well, if at all, he did remember bodies though, and took care to notice things about every person he knew. What most people ignored about bodies he was quick to spot. Things like the ring of bruises around Sena Kobayakawa's wrist. Bruises that could only have come from a strong grip on said wrist, inflicted by someone who had wanted to hold her still and cause pain at the same time.

A frown crossed his face as that anger from earlier rose up. He could sense that Sena had stopped and felt her eyes follow his. When she realised what he was looking (glaring) at she quickly removed the offending limb away by moving it behind her back. It didn't matter, he had already seen it.

"What happened to your wrist?" He already knew what happened but he didn't know the exact circumstances; who had done it for example. That was a question he really wanted an answer to. She was starting to turn apple-red again and her bruise-free arm was waving around like it usually did when she was panicking.

"I-It's nothing r-really. I-It doesn't h-hurt anymore, and i-it was my f-fault really. I-I'm sure the m-man didn't mean to hold onto my arm that tightly." She was met with the infamous 'Shin-face' and let out a sigh. Similar to the way she'd acted before she left after her panic was done she calmed down and spoke to him very clearly and calmly. "I was leaving a shop and I wasn't really looking where I was going. I bumped into a man by accident and he grabbed my wrist, he was surprisingly strong and I bruise very easily. The situation was quickly solved by a passer-by and that's all. I don't even know his name, he was just a strange man I bumped into."

"By accident." He added, disappointed that the man was unknown. It would be beneficial for him to see the error of his ways and Shin had been eager to help him do just that. She nodded and looked up at him with another smile.

"I'm fine Shin-san, really. I'm just sorry I wasn't able to return injury free."

"As am I." She paused then and her eyes widened ever so slightly. Then a large beaming smile appeared on her face and Shin felt his anger beginning to fade a little. He coughed. "Does your bruise need any bandaging?"

"No, it's fine now like I said." The smile still hadn't disappeared and she walked over to her gate. "Shall we go Shin-san." He merely nodded and without any cue both runners started to jog towards their normal path. Shin finally felt his shoulders relax as he registered the second lighter steps next to his. His routine was back to normal and the bruise should disappear in a couple of days. This was acceptable to him.

An hour later they were back at the Kobayakawa house and he turned to leave.

"P-Please wait S-Shin-san!" He stopped and saw his partner had returned to apple red for some unknown reason. "C-Could y-you wait here for a m-minute?" He nodded, clueless as to why she wanted him to stay. His friends and family often told him that he barely understood people let alone girls so he had no idea what she could want. He had no idea of the conflicting voices furiously arguing in her head, the dampness of her palms or the increase in her heart rate as she wondered whether this would wreck her new friendship with the stoic teen.

Shin was busy counting 60 seconds in his head when she re-appeared, both arms behind her back with the redness on her face still present.

"B-B-Before I left, I-I told y-you that y-you were my friend." He nodded still clueless about what she was doing. That memory of her saying that she was his friend was one of the few things outside of training that made him feel happy. He didn't have many friends, people told him that they admired him but only a few people called him a friend. He was pleased to increase that number by one to include Sena Kobayakawa. She was speaking again, and stuttering. He didn't like that.

"W-W-Well f-friends u-usually g-get each o-other s-souvenirs, a-and since i-it's s-so soon to C-Christmas. I th-thought that-" At this point she stopped speaking and simply thrust her hands forward. "M-Merry Christmas S-Shin-san!"

He found himself staring down at a small, tightly wrapped parcel in blue wrapping paper and a card in both her hands. Thinking it would be best to take them he did so. The parcel was very light and made no noise when he picked it up, it was fairly small but he didn't mind. He was trying to figure out what to do next. Luckily she was still speaking.

"I know we haven't known each other very long but…Shin-san is an important friend to me. I don't have many friends and I'm really glad you let me be yours. Friends get each other presents so…there you go." He remembered Sakuraba and Takami telling him how to act in situations like this. He gave a slight bow.

"Thank you. I will see you tomorrow." To some people this would sound fairly cold and blank but Sena knew that it was just Shin's way and smiled back.

"Yes I'll see you tomorrow. I'm glad to be back." With that she stepped back inside and shut the door, reassured that her present hadn't completely destroyed the friendship she had been trying to build, so maybe she could be a little dramatic at times, leaving Shin examining his present with a little bemusement and hoping that it wasn't anything connected with technology.

* * *

Sena jumped into the shower for a quick wash, she had about half an hour before her dad got up. Now that the holidays were here she could get some intense training done before school started again. Well she had to do some studying for the entrance exam, a fact which reminded her that Mamori-neechan was coming round today to begin operation get-Sena-to-Deimon-no-matter-what. Her English had improved beyond recognition; she just hoped her bluff of studying really hard would satisfy her neechan. She cared for Mamori as an older sister but she didn't think letting her know about the dreams was a good idea. Mainly because Mamori would lock her up in a tower if she said that she wanted to play American football.

That was a sobering thought. Did she want to hide from Mamori-neechan again? Not really but she may have to. She was going to wear the eyeshield though, it had become an integral part of _him_ and she wanted to prove herself worthy of the title. The eyeshield was a definite yes then.

One more duty to do. She went to her room and switched on her computer. Her hair hanging wet down her shoulders wasn't unpleasant and she felt clean and refreshed for the day. Bringing up her email account she brought up a new email, carefully typing in the address in the To: box she started typing.

**To Marco-kun**

**I know this seems rather soon but I decided to take you up on your offer to stay in touch. There aren't really many people I can talk to about American football and you were a very interesting person to speak with. Hopefully you remember the strange silent girl you rescued in Osaka otherwise you'll think I'm just a strange weird stalker-type person, which I'm not. I don't know when you'll get this so at the moment I don't know how the Christmas Bowl ended **(a lie but now was not the time to bring up her dreams) **I hope you had fun either way though. I'm back home in Tokyo again and the holidays lay bare before me. I really don't know how I'm going to fill up my time. Most likely I'll be studying for my High school entrance exams which are coming up worryingly soon. I'm not very smart so they're going to be quite hard.**

**Luckily my friend Mamori Anezaki has agreed to tutor me so hopefully I won't do too badly. Since we're hopefully going to be email 'pen friends' I best let you know a couple more things about me. I'm an only child with two great parents, you already know my main hobby so that's out of the way though I also enjoy watching films and my favourite colour is red. Hope that's enough for a first email.**

**Please reply soon. Or whenever you have enough time to reply, no pressure.**

**Yours sincerely **

**Sena Kobayakawa**

Before she could give herself time to rethink it she clicked send. There, that would make up for her encounter with Yamato-san. Hopefully she hadn't come across as too weird. She checked the clock 7:10, time for breakfast. Then she had to face Mamori-sensei.

**AN: Big question for you guys: Should I have Musashi return like he does in the manga or like he does in the anime. I'm fine either way but it's up to you guys to decide really. The poll is still up though only for one more chapter, because after the next one Sena will finally be going to Deimon High School :D As always you guys have been absolutely amazing in your support and looking at the 140+ reviews always makes me want to write more. Sorry I couldn't do two last week but a lot of things had to be done regarding my second year at university. Hopefully this chapter is as good as the previous ones and as always I look forward to reading your thoughts on it. Still looking for a Beta reader though I haven't had much spare time so if you know anyone who would want to be please let me know!**

**Reviews:**

**Sachiel Angelo: **I did check and I'm 90% sure that they're both in the first year of High School, though obviously in the manga you see bits of them playing in middle school.

**Elma Avalonia: **I think you're right about that and if I can find the chapter I will correct it, I usually try to get my facts and my fanfics as accurate as possible.


	8. Time Well Spent

**Disclaimer: The Eyeshield 21 manga and anime series do not belong to me**

**Anyone who has concerns about the pairing of this story please read the AN at the bottom.**

Chapter 8: Time Well Spent

It was with an almost startling speed that the next few weeks passed by. After the constant encounters with new-old faces to remember the time after the trip from Osaka seemed to fly by. The days on the calendar were crossed off one by one and the distance between her and 'the first day' was getting shorter and shorter. It would be a lie to say that she wasn't starting to freak out just a little. Up until then all she'd really had to do was train, and come to some important life-changing decisions, and make some new, admittedly odd, friends.

When her first year at Deimon started she would have to actively use that knowledge and the thought of doing something wrong or messing up was still haunting her and causing stress. Not that she had much time to stress thanks to the tortur- study sessions that Mamori-neechan was putting her through. It was a frightening experience and at times fairly dull; she had about three extra years' worth of knowledge and had spent a significant amount of that time improving her English skills. Granted her math and scientific academics would never be much to brag about but her English level was high enough that she could very nearly speak it fluently. Occasionally she still struggled with some aspects of pronunciation and grammar but it was a vast, and helpful, improvement.

One which she had to lie about to Mamori-neechan. Sena did not like lying, it was never something that came easily to her, and she felt guilty just lying about how her ability had improved: "I-I've j-just b-been studying r-really hard l-lately. I-I know that it's one of my worst subjects." How she was going to bluff her way around Hiruma, or the rest of the team, if they started asking awkward questions she had no idea.

Plus it was hard not to feel a little guilty when Mamori let out a squeal and crushed her in a hug, saying how proud she was of "little Sena-chan." At this point Sena felt like the most despicable person on the planet.

Yeah, lying was going to be a problem.

Still that too was pushed down under the mountain of studying she had to do. Mamori would do everything short of taking the test for her to make sure that she got into Deimon high school. This wouldn't have been a problem if she didn't now already know what Mamori was trying to teach her. This made the whole process tedious and repetitive. The good thing was that she got more time to spend with Mamori-neechan, she hadn't seen her for a while and it was nice to spend some time with her older sister figure. Sadly this also caused her to consider another problem.

Mamori-neechan's protective streak. It was a little startling after the dreams to be right back to holding Mamori's hand again. Now that she knew what it was like to be more independent the near constant vigilance of Mamori's Sena-watch was slightly chafing. Not that she could blame Mamori, up until this point her life had basically been about running away from danger or running to Mamori-neechan. It was going to be hard to try and break the pattern.

At least this time she would have a couple of weeks before high school to try and change Mamori's opinion of her as a helpless creature. She knew it was an awful thing to think but if Hiruma hadn't "persuaded" _him_ to join the Devil Bats and Mamori hadn't given _him_ the room to grow then…

_He'd be a pathetic fucking weakling with no spine!_

Very harsh but also true.

This had struck her when during one of their study sessions she had offered to go down to the shops and buy them some snacks. Mamori hadn't been so keen on the idea.

"But neechan the shops are only a couple of blocks away and I can run there and back in about 10 minutes." She had looked up from her math textbook (accursed evil thing) to meet Mamori's concerned, but strong, gaze.

"Sena, it's starting to get dark and who knows what kinds of bullies and delinquents are out now, waiting to take advantage of people like you. No it's probably best if I come with you." Sena had felt a confused jumble of emotions at this: shame, frustration, understanding to name a few. Usually at this point she would just back down and agree to let Mamori accompany her to the shops, but this was something that had to happen soon if she wanted to make any difference in Mamori's attitude towards her. She understood the need to protect someone you care about. _He _had been fairly protective of Chuubou-kun, but there was a difference between being protective of someone and keeping them away from all danger. Some battles had to be fought alone.

With this in mind she found her resolve and met Mamori's eyes. Still smiling she shook her head and when she spoke her voice was firm, not as much as she wanted it to be but it was strong enough to show that she wasn't going to give in as easily as she used to.

"Really Mamori-neechan I can do it by myself. You're the one who always has to come to my house so at least let me buy some snacks. Why don't you make some drinks to go with the snacks when I come back." She held her breath and waited for the next move.

* * *

Mamori had been looking back down at Sena's work after she had first spoken, convinced that she would agree with her like usual. It was too dangerous for someone as frail as Sena to go wandering around at night. OK, so maybe it wasn't night yet, but the sky was definitely darkening and there were probably already some mean people out there. A frown crossed her face when she thought of one particular person who might be out. That was one person she did not want Sena to meet under any circumstances. Images of Sena running into big shadowy figures with delinquent written across them appeared in her mind. No it was best if she went with her.

Then Sena spoke again. For a moment Mamori didn't actually register the words, she thought that Sena had just agreed to go with her to the shop. Then she realised exactly what Sena had said. She blinked and looked up. The girl sitting across from her looked like Sena, there was nothing outwardly different about her yet something about the sight of Sena sitting up straight and meeting her gaze squarely unsettled her a little. Sena very rarely met people's eyes, even Mamori's, the only people she looked straight on at were her parents. It was something that Mamori had been trying to change for years. She should have been happy, thrilled that Sena was doing it so easily, and yet…

She felt like she had missed something. Like a huge change had happened while she'd had her back turned and now she didn't know what it was. It had been hard to meet up with Sena for a few weeks in December, schoolwork had started piling up and her mum had wanted to take her on holiday for a week. Still nothing too bad could have happened to Sena during the holidays, she rarely left the house and she would be away from the bullies at her school who liked to use her as a gopher. Surely nothing would change right? Mamori suddenly had the feeling that she'd been very wrong. Realising that Sena was still waiting for an answer she shook her head and smiled across the table.

"It's fine Sena, really. I don't mind walking here every day, its good exercise. Now let's head off to the shops." Age old tactic of denying that anything had happened. It may have worked before but now?

"Mamori-neechan." Was it just her, or was there a note of iron in that soft voice that hadn't been there before? She looked hesitantly up at her future kohai, who just smiled at her. "You're always saying how I should start doing things for myself, I'm sure one little trip to the shops won't hurt."

"Still, I wou-"

"I'll be fine. I promise." Whether or not it was the fact that she was too stunned over Sena interrupting her, too surprised at Sena's words, or just too confused about the change in her friend, Mamori found herself nodding to Sena's words.

"OK, I'll be back before you know it." With that she had shut her book and gone to get her shoes and coat, leaving one very confused and slightly worried Mamori Anezaki in the bedroom looking down at a closed maths text book wondering what she had missed.

Yes, she wanted Sena to become more confident and stand on her own but-

But what?

Why did she feel so unsettled? Sena was right, she was fast and the shops weren't that far away. Her mind knew that Sena would be perfectly safe on her own but her heart wasn't as logical. Years of being a big sister/motherly figure warred with a genuine desire to see Sena become less afraid and more comfortable. Perhaps she was overreacting, it was only a small incident and Sena would be back soon.

Nevertheless it unnerved her a little. Maybe she should have a talk with Sena's parents to find out what exactly she had missed.

The sessions after that had been relatively normal but every now and then Sena would try and sneak in activities to show Mamori that she was growing up, that she wasn't the frightened little girl on the playground who needed protecting anymore. Sena wanted Mamori, three years from now, to be the one she'd seen at the end of her dream; supportive and caring but willing to challenge her because she knew that she could stand on her own. It would be a lot of work but it would be worth it in the end.

* * *

Between studying and training Sena had very little free time of her own. During the Christmas holidays she still met up with Shin and went on their morning jogs. Her own personal training had increased too. She still lacked any physical game experience but she kept working on her footwork by crowd-dashing, she went running by herself, and she steadily increased the time she could stay running at light-speed. That had very nearly killed her legs, the first couple of days spent on the light speed run had left her basically crawling into bed and at times she had come very, very close to giving up. If she ever felt like that her own memories would rise up to support her: the feeling of jogging with her rival, the words she'd said to Kongo Agon, a conversation with Marco about American football, the look in Yamato-san's eyes when she had beaten him to the little girl and the voice of a demon captain in her head.

These extraordinary people all had expectations of her; some were larger than others true, and she didn't want to let any of them down. So as she forced her tired legs to run, vague words about hyper-recovery swam across her mind and she remembered to rest in order to make the most of her training.

She was getting stronger.

Her parents, surprised at her apparent increased passion about running, had been supportive. For Christmas she had got some new trainers and some tracksuits, shorts, and sport tops, if she came home late form running there was always a meal left ready to heat for her and she sensed that her father while still not ecstatic about it, was being a little less frosty to Shin-san when he saw him. Sometimes her father was weird.

With the extra money she received during Christmas she bought herself a ball to practice with. She did not want to make the mistake that _he_ had made in the first game against the White Knights; she doubted that being a girl would save her from Hiruma's wrath if she dropped the ball because she was holding it wrong.

It was hard to describe the feeling she got when she found herself standing on a path holding her brand new football. It was a mix of nostalgia, pride, fear, and a smidgen of excitement. Running with it tucked between her arms had been exhilarating and the extra weight had been new but her body had adjusted itself to it and after the initial moment it just felt incredibly…right. Perhaps it was cliché but it truly felt like two puzzle pieces coming together, like two old friends meeting once again.

Then in her daze of emotions she had forgotten to look forward and had ended up tripping over a branch and landing flat on her face. Some things would never change.

Her body though, was changing along with her mind. It was partly due to her training but was also because of the fact that she was a teenage girl. This was not something that her dreams could help her with either. Puberty was, in a word, awkward. Sena would have been quite content with her current figure, it was perfectly suited for running and since she had very little experience, and was terrified of, interacting with boys she really wasn't concerned about her ability to attract the opposite sex. As long as she didn't leave the house looking too scruffy that was fine. The added influence of the boy-Sena in her dreams had dulled this interest even further and beyond brushing her hair there was very little she did to improve how she looked.

Despite this nature was determined to do something to make her more appealing, apparently allying with her mother. In the weeks after her fifteenth birthday it was difficult not to notice a certain area of her body was growing bigger. This presented a couple of problems: a) it threw off her running style, b) her mother now had an excuse to buy her lots of girly, cute tops that really weren't her style, c) when she was running down a street the guys no longer completely ignored her, in fact there was a lot of staring and d) it was actually quite a sore experience.

Luckily there were a few bright spots and solutions in this embarrassing process. The disruption to her running style was fixed after doing enough training, it wasn't too hard to make slight changes to account for the differences in her body and soon she was just as comfortable running as she had been. There was not much she could do about her mother's shopping spree but at the moment the only person to see her in the clothes were her parents and Mamori-neechan, school still required a uniform and there was no way she was training in any of the girly clothes which now inhabited her wardrobe. The solution to c) was very simple, she started avoiding busy streets when running and she bought herself a very good sports bra to stop any unwanted movement. For a moment she had actually been worried about jogging with Shin-san but remembered that Shin-san was not a pervert nor did her seem very interested in girls generally. She could trust him not to do or say anything too embarrassing. She still bought the sports bra very quickly though.

It wasn't like they had become huge like some of the girls in the manga that Togano like to read. She was in no danger of bursting out of her shirts or smothering someone in a hug. They had just grown big enough to notice now; embarrassing yes, but not totally unexpected.

Training had not given her bulky muscles and her frame still remained light and petite, the muscles in her legs did become more defined and her arms weren't as skinny as before but she knew that she would never be able to compete strength-wise with players like Shin-san or Yamato-san. It still showed that she was physically better than before and even if it was just a bit it was enough encouragement to keep going.

She had started watching American football games when she had the TV to herself or on her lap top in her room. It reminded her of the rules and also gave her some idea about tactics and various plays. Technically, as a running back she didn't have to worry too much about it, still she couldn't help but remember a game in which their captain had been unable to play and she had had to step in. She didn't want to feel that awful helplessness ever again. So she watched, and she learnt.

Her fifteenth birthday had been quiet like all the others, but this one had an air of expectation about it, the knowledge that next year her life was going to change completely. Her parents had bought her a new satchel for when she started high school (Deimon), Mamori had bought her two books from an author she loved, and most surprisingly of all Shin-san had gotten her a gift too. He probably didn't know it was her birthday and was just giving her a Christmas gift like the one she'd given him. Although they were friends they didn't know everything about each other and she felt it would be considered rude to tell him that her birthday was so close, as if she was expecting a present, which she wasn't!

It had been the morning of her birthday, 4 days before Christmas, when he had arrived at her door with an oddly wrapped parcel and literally thrust it into her hands. She had gone red, had stuttered a lot, but had finally managed to accept the present from the stoic teen. He had only nodded and mentioned something about it being a socially acceptable thing to give presents to friends. She had finished that particular jog with a warm feeling in her stomach.

The reason he had given it to her early was that his parents were going away for Christmas and naturally they wanted their son to come with them. He would be back on the 27th. Of course she had been disappointed, she looked forward to the daily jogs but she had assured him that they would continue when he returned. She also asked that he be careful, remembering his own words to her when she had gone to Osaka for a couple of days. It might have been an illusion but for a moment she swore he was smiling at her and his eyes weren't quite as serious and stoic as they usually were.

The next time they met, she had a brand new sturdy hair band on and he was wearing a white wristband with a shield. It had been a quiet reunion but a warm one and Sena could tell that her relationship with Shin had gotten a little less like training partners and a little more like friends.

He wasn't the only new friend in her life, though Mamori still didn't know about him.

Her email-friendship with Marco was developing nicely too. Though he clearly felt more at ease about it than she did. His first email to her was a clear sign of this:

**Dear Sena-chan**

**Wow! You sound so formal and serious in your email, are you sure this is the same girl I met in Osaka? So glad you decided to 'take me up on my offer' (which makes poor old me sound very suspicious to anyone who might see my emails) and can't wait to learn more about the interesting conundrum of a girl I met in Osaka. Please don't feel the need to be serious around me, serious things always make me upset. Fear not! I shall never think of you as a 'strange weird stalker-type person', you're far too cute and sweet to be one of those. Unless of course you're a very convincing actress, in which case well played.**

**The Christmas Bowl was interesting. I'm 100% sure that you will get into whichever high school you choose, although you should be aware of big hulking Neanderthals who can't see two inches in front of their faces, because I am sadly not there to pull you out of danger once again. Although I would certainly do it again without hesitance. I'm heading for Hakushu high school where I expect to make the American football team. Who knows, maybe one day I'll get to play against you. Though I don't know how I'd be able to compete against those amazing legs of yours. Amazing as in speed wise not in a perverted way, though they do look fantastic too.**

**I suppose I better end with some more detail about me too eh? Let's see I like all of my school subjects, though maths is probably my favourite, my favourite colour is green and I'm an only child. My hobbys include American football, training for American football, drinking cola, and rescuing girls from ugly jerks who can't see further than their noses.**

**I hope this hasn't frightened you off. Hear from you soon.**

**Marco**

It had caused her to blush in places but her eyes had been drawn to that sentence about the Christmas Bowl. It was remarkably subdued and brief for someone who enjoyed the sport as much as Marco did. Then it had hit her that this was the Christmas Bowl which had changed Marco's attitude towards American football, this was when he had become convinced that strength was absolute, this was what would lead to Gaou joining the Hakushu Dinosaurs.

For a moment she had experienced a foolish urge to try and change this. A sudden vivid image of an injured Hiruma at the forefront of her brain. Then she realised how unfair she was being, deliberately weakening another team was not an option. She had no right to try and stop Gaou from being recruited. Not to mention Marco would, quite rightly, ignore any advice she gave him. People got hurt in football all the time. The way to stop it happening this time was not to weaken the other team but to strengthen hers. She would not sabotage another team, that was not the player she wanted to be. Plus, even if he wasn't convinced that strength was absolute no captain would not try and recruit Gaou as a lineman. So she had replied with a slightly less formal email and ignored the doubts she had about his attitude of strength–only playing. Kurita needed to face Gaou and Gaou needed to face Kurita; she had no right to prevent that.

It was a lot easier to deal with his charm when it was in email form. He couldn't see her initial blushes and she had time to think about how she wanted to respond. She enjoyed writing to Marco, he was an interesting person, sometimes he could be very funny and he seemed really interested in getting to know her. It was almost a reversal of her time with Shin-san. Her friendship with Shin had evolved from training together and meeting someone who would be a sporting rival, form this had come friendship. Her relationship with Marco had come from two people wanting to become friends but as the emails went back and forth elements of competitiveness slipped in. Two very different men had suddenly entered her life; one she saw nearly every day and one she could only talk to through writing, but they both provoked the same feeling of happiness within her. Happiness that she had friends, real friends, not just overprotective guardians.

It wasn't until she'd met them that Sena realised how lonely she had felt with just Mamori and her parents in her life. Mamori would always have a special place in her heart; the older girl was, and always would be, precious to Sena, she would always value her advice, kindness, and willingness to stand up for Sena when no-one else would. But Sena needed more than just one person in her heart; she couldn't get by with just one friend. It was up to her to make new ones, new bonds to connect her to the rest of the world.

Now that she knew what having friends would feel like. She didn't ever want to go back to feeling lonely again.

First though she had an exam to pass.

* * *

The paper in front of her should have appeared large and daunting. The worried whispering from students behind her should have made her feel nervous and unprepared. It didn't, she knew there were harder things than this test to face. She also knew that she would pass it; there was no if or but about it, she was going to Deimon.

The clock started and she opened the first page. A desperate "Mukyaa!" pierced the silence before it was harshly shushed. It took all the strength she had not to turn around and see him. Monta wasn't at a point where he would be willing to join yet. As cruel as it sounded he had to have his baseball dreams crushed before he could be given a new one.

That still probably wouldn't stop her from "accidentally" bumping into him in the first week of term. She wanted to make friends with this extravagant, excitable, crazy, slightly monkeyish boy who had been _his_ closest friend. She knew that he probably would react differently to her gender but she hoped she could reclaim that deep bond of comradeship that had linked the two of them together in her dreams.

First though she needed to translate _the train station is to the left_ into Japanese.

Later with the final answer written in, the final minute over, and a final breath of relief Sena sat back in her chair and grinned.

She had gotten in.

She just knew that she had. She knew that if she had tried she could have got near 90% but she didn't want to give an inaccurate reading of her intelligence. Partly because it already felt like she was cheating with her future knowledge, mainly because she didn't want Hiruma taking note of it and wondering why she wasn't really as smart as her marks said she was. She couldn't resist getting a little higher than she had before though. She was smarter than _he _had been at this stage and she wanted to show it. The interviews would be in a week, regardless whether or not you got in.

A smile came to her lips as she thought of Komusubi-kun's interview that he'd told them (Kurita) about; the gym teacher spoke the language of powerful men and had translated his grunt into a satisfactory answer, to the shock of the other two teachers in the room.

Speaking of the small, future, linemen her eyes caught sight of him walking towards the exit with his backpack, a stern look on his features. For a moment she just wanted to walk over and speak to him, the third member of the Deimon chibis was one whose strength they had come to rely on. Strong enough to take down Kengo Mizumachi, evolving genius of the Kyoshin Poseidons, and stubborn enough to face down Gaou when his senpai was unable to continue. Daikichi Komusubi had proven himself to be a true friend and she wanted nothing more than to walk over and begin forming that friendship again.

It felt too early still. Maybe when the term had actually started, but for now she watched him go feeling both sad but also excited because she still had all those games to play with him by her side.

Brown eyes spotted other members, other friends to meet, in the crowd. A group of 3 bullies who would form part of the line. Kazuki Jumonji, Koji Kuroki, and Shozo Togano. _His _three early tormentors who became _his_ three protectors. Eventually they would become skilled enough to play against the best teams in Japan, but at the moment they were just three delinquents, who would need to hide their embarrassing photos much better in the future.

She had a feeling a tentative offer of friendship form her would probably end up receiving the infamous triple "Huh" that they had become infamous for.

"Kekekeke, join the Deimon Devil Bats and come with us to the Christmas Bowl!"

"Y-Yes please take a leaflet. Our club is based round the back of the school."

Every muscle she had felt frozen. Of course they would be here. The students here were basically their last chance to reach the Christmas Bowl.

Last chance.

She knew she'd see them again, for the first time. Gathering her courage she got up off her chair and started to walk towards the exit. Waiting there were two people who had changed _his_ life: Ryokan Kurita and Yoichi Hiruma. One of them looking very threatening and frightening, waving some kind of machine gun in the air, a demonic grin on his face, the other looking peaceful and hopeful a bright smile on his chestnut-shaped face and a stack of leaflets in his hand. A smile slipped across her face, it wouldn't be long now unti-

Sharp green eyes snapped up to meet hers.

A couple of months ago she would have bowed her head down and quickly ran again, her cheeks flushed with embarrassment for being caught staring. She still felt that urge inside of her, the fear rising up again, trying to pressurise her into running away. To run away again.

This time she fought that fear. This time she didn't run. Instead she gave a small smile and carried on walking. She knew both of them far too well to run from them.

She felt his eyes on her back for a couple of seconds before he turned back to terrorising the other students-to-be.

Soon. Soon, she would step onto the field beside them. Soon Kurtia-senpai wouldn't look so sad. Soon, she promised.

When she got home, she told her concerned parents that it hadn't been too bad. The relief that came of both was justifiable if you looked back on her previous record and she promised to thank Mamori-neechan for helping her.

Running upstairs she turned on her computer to send an email to Marco. It was short but it displayed perfectly what she was feeling.

**To Marco-kun**

**I am going to Deimon High School in Tokyo. I can't wait!**

**Yours sincerely**

**Sena**

It felt a little childish but she was still a teenager. She clicked the send button and lay down on her bed. Pictures of her future teammates flickered back and forth in front of her eyes.

'Soon guys. I promise. Soon we will stand on the field together.'

She was stronger, smarter, better than _he_ had been when he had started. She didn't know exactly how or when she was going to change things, but it would be different. She wasn't lonely anymore. She was ready for what was coming.

She was going to become Eyeshield 21.

**AN: Hello again, it's my last week at university before I go home so things have been fairly hectic lately, so I'm sorry that this was a little slow. Good news! I finally have a Beta Reader! Huge thank you to Reader-of-Many for helping me with this and all future chapters. Hopefully this will reduce the amount of errors getting through and create a more enjoyable read. Thank you to everyone who offered though. About the pairings, a couple of reviewers have been concerned about how I will handle the whole "harem" thing so here is what I intend to do: I want to make this story as realistic as possible and in a real world 5 or 6 teenage boys do not agree to politely share one girl I really can't see it happening so there will be frustration, jealousy, confusion, and anger, all the emotions you'd imagine for this sort of sticky situation. Maybe something will be sorted out maybe not, romance is second in this story to the whole time travel aspect. The guys in the 'harem' are simply the ones most likely to succeed; there will be no love-at-first-sight sort of things either. KI really want Sena's relationships with others to develop as naturally as possible. Hope this clears some things up.**

**NEXT CHAPTER THE POLL WILL CLOSE! It's actually really close so please vote I really want to know what you guys think. Oh and let me know what your thoughts are about Musashi's return in this story please. Thank you guys so much, I know I say it every update but you really are what keep me writing!**

**Next up: Sena's First Day at Deimon!**

**Reviews:**

**Lilyas: **You've given me some interesting things to think about. Obviously some things are going to change but I still need to figure out how to fit it all together. Thank you for the review


	9. The First Day Part 1

**Disclaimer: The Eyeshield 21 manga and anime series do not belong to me**

Chapter 9: The First Day – Part One

It was the day before the start of the new Deimon High School term. Crowds of anxious middle school students waited just outside the gates, hoping that they had passed the exam and were able to continue their educational careers. One person who was perhaps less anxious about the results was one short girl with brown hair waiting for her childhood friend to come greet her. She was, however, very nervous over a certain encounter that would take place in about 5 minutes. Thoughts were racing through her skull at an incredible pace and she could feel the frenzied grip of panic on her heart.

The card with her number, 021, was slowly being crumpled into a small ball as her nervous hands worked out the fear slowly overcoming her other senses.

The crowd of teenagers around her had blurred into one large multi-coloured blob, faces indistinguishable and a chaotic mix of sound; screams, cries, cheers, laughter, sighs and speech. All she was thinking about was the numerous ways in which she could mess up and that after weeks and weeks of waiting it was about to begin.

She did not feel ready. She did not feel prepared. She felt exactly like a stressed-out 15 year old girl who had far too much to worry about. The instinct to run away and hide under her bed covers was strong but luckily her panic had managed to freeze her legs and all she could do was stand there crumpling her card into an even smaller ball.

'Maybe I should-'

"Sena! Over here!"

She looked up and sure enough, heading towards her with a big confident smile on her face was Mamori. She met her sister-figure's eyes and managed a weak grin in return. Knowing that any chance she'd had of running was now gone she forced one foot forward and soon, sooner than she would have liked, found herself standing next to her friend with a crumpled ball in her hand and wearing, for the last time, her middle school uniform. In all honesty it would be a relief to start wearing the Deimon uniform which was a size too big for her; her current uniform had been bought before her... uh, growth spurt and there was no point in buying a new one so close to the end. This meant that her current uniform was too tight around her torso and at times she felt like she was on display to the boys at her school. They had certainly been more… attentive in the past few weeks than they had been for the rest of her school years.

It was another relief to be leaving some of those people behind. She had no desire to interact with students like Arashi in high school and hopefully she wouldn't have to.

Numbly, she realised that Mamori was pulling her closer and closer to the large result board at the front of the school. Her palms began to sweat and she felt suddenly dizzy and her golden legs felt like they were made of jelly. Not a great start to the day.

"What's your test number?" Mamori's voice managed to temporarily pierce through the panic induced haze and she forced her shoulders to drop.

"Umm." They both looked down at the now thoroughly mangled piece of card. Blushing Sena quickly straightened it out to the best of her ability, forgetting that she actually knew the number already. "021."

For just a moment the old Sena resurfaced and doubts about whether or not she'd actually passed flew through her brain, lessening the worry over her first meeting with her captain. If she hadn't even got in then there was no point worrying because she wouldn't be going to Deimon, she wouldn't meet any of her future friends and rivals, she wouldn't be able to run against Panther, she wouldn't be able to become strong, she wouldn't get to play American foot-

"It's there! Number 21 is there!" Sena raised her eyes, and sure enough printed in black on the board was the number 021. She was a new student of Deimon high school.

She was in. She'd made it. There was such huge sense of achievement and relief that she felt her legs shake a little.

"I did it." She didn't scream or cry in joy. Her words were spoken softly, quietly amongst the din of the rest of the crowd and were tinged with disbelief. She'd passed successfully! Oh sure, a part of her had been sure she would, but a couple of dreams and weeks of training could not completely erase a deep set belief that she was no good at anything, written tests being one of her many weak points. A hand landed on her head and started ruffling the messy brown locks.

"Good job Sena! You did well!"

She looked up to meet Mamori's smiling face and finally managed a smile of her own.

"I guess I should be happy. I'm no longer just a little middle school student anymore." Mamori nodded and Sena was able to see the pride in her eyes.

"You've gotten a lot better at English, even though your math skills are still pretty bad. It's a good thing you had Mamori-sensei here to push you through."

Push through? It was probably more fitting to say dragged through but she was incredibly grateful to Mamori-neechan. She was now a high school student, or at least she would be tomorrow, and Mamori's kohai and she could tell that her new senpai was starting to get a little teary. It was still undecided in Sena's mind whether or not to let Mamori know that she was (going to be) Eyeshield 21 and play under Hiruma, resident demon and Mamori's current arch nemesis. Maybe-

A playful elbow to her side winded her a little and broke off her train of thought.

"Well aren't you lucky to be walking around with a smart girl you've known since childhood in the same school."

"Ha…ha…ha…yeah." She rubbed her side a little and let her eyes wander round the entrance area looking for any 'familiar faces' hoping both to see and not to see them. For the moment it looked like it was just her and Mamori which was probably a good thing for her nerves in their present state.

"Sena." This time Mamori sounded calmer and slightly sad. Turning her attention back to her friend she was met with a pair of kind eyes that looked suspiciously wet. She suddenly felt like she had just committed some sort of unspeakably horrible crime of the universe.

"Con…Con…Con-"

"Mamori-neechan are you OK?"

"Oh wait! Let me go get you a student handbook. I'll be right back." Wiping furiously at her eyes, the proud second year dashed off to be of further service to her new kohai. Leaving said kohai alone.

Sena looked at her retreating friend with no small level of concern it was odd for Mamori to struggle with words, the older girl usually knew just what to say, and she briefly considered running after her.

Then she felt someone stare at her. Not true. She felt two people stare at her. Her back suddenly went ramrod straight and she knew that any chance she'd had of avoiding this had gone up in smoke. To be fair a significant part of her didn't want to avoid them. Fear, however, was still a major issue. In that moment though, there was no time for fear, only excitement and anticipation.

It was about to begin.

* * *

"H-Hiruma, are you sure this is OK to do?"

"Of course it is you fucking fatass. You want new members for the team right?"

"Yes, but-"

"No buts! Keep looking."

The spiky haired blonde turned back to the crowd of potential slaves and members before him. There were one or two who showed some promise but in the position that he and the fatty were in just about anyone would do. He'd already started gathering information for his threat notebook so 'convincing' other players from different clubs would be as easy as usual. They didn't need any more of those sorts of players, what they needed were full-time players who actually wanted to play.

He had no use for a puppet team who wouldn't put everything they had into the game. Plus those temporary players were fucking awful at American football; they were only there to make up the numbers so that he and the fatty could play. Two people did not make up a football team. Three might have had a better chance.

He ruthlessly cut off that train of thought. There were more important things to be doing than thinking about that.

They were running out of time. This was their last shot at the Christmas Bowl. He knew it and the fatty sure as hell knew it, which was probably why he was agreeing to his schemes more easily. The only thing bigger than the idiot's stupidly soft heart was his desire to participate in the Christmas Bowl, especially after what those bastards at Shinryuji had done.

Sharp green eyes narrowed on a pair standing in front of the board. From the jumping and yelling emitting from one of them it was pretty obvious the younger one had gotten in. He felt a spike of amusement seeing the ever so composed and proper Mamori Anezaki acting like a three year old but then his attention shifted to the shrimp looking girl standing meekly beside her.

For a moment a frown crossed his face. He had seen her before. He was sure of it, he never forgot a face. The girl's eyes weren't focused and were staring blankly ahead but he had definitely seen those eyes before.

The entrance exam.

The girl who had walked out of there looking a lot less flustered than the rest of them. She had met his gaze and hadn't flinched away, impressive for a fourteen year old brat. Still there was something twitching at the back of his skull. Tch. He'd worry about that later. For the moment he didn't know anything about the girl, he was still collecting blackmail on the newest additions to the student body. He didn't know this girls name. First things first; she was a new student.

"Candidate discovered." For about the tenth time that morning he stepped out from behind the building with the fatty trailing behind him. Who knows, maybe this one would actually join.

* * *

Sena heard the footsteps, felt the slight thud on the ground as Kurita started running towards her. Taking a deep breath she turned her head around.

And very nearly screamed her head off. She'd for gotten just how intimidating her cap- future captain could be, especially when he was running straight after her with the impressive bulk of Kurita close behind him.

Any feelings of panic and worry she'd had were quickly wiped away by a tidal wave of disorientation and a mild sense of déjà vu. Being suddenly grabbed and thrown in the air will do that to a person.

"Congratulations on your success!"

Up and down. Up and down. This is when it all began. A nervous smile worked its way onto her face and she tried to just let herself enjoy the feeling of being thrown in the air. It had never happened to her before and it was a pleasant experience, even if she knew that she hadn't really done anything to earn it. Her head was still spinning when they put her down and she was presented with a normal looking mobile phone.

She glanced up to see Hiruma smiling, in a fairly normal way for him, down at her. Since she 'knew' him better it was easier to pick out the evil aura that came off of him. She pushed down the odd mix of nostalgia and fear which was starting to rise up and blinked.

"Here. Tell the news of your success to your parents." She hesitatingly took the phone and looked over it.

"Are you sure I can use this?"

"Of course."

She started to type in her number, trying to ignore the sudden increase in evilness beside her. The answering machine picked up and she opened her mouth.

"Kaa-chan are you there? I nee-" She was able to count to four in her head before the phone was snatched away from her and the two players ran off. Her eyes followed the two of them across the ground. That hadn't been too bad. She hadn't thrown up from nerves or been scared into a stuttering mess.

Now the Devil had her home number and in about a minute he would have her address. That really shouldn't have made her smile.

The rest of her day was spent speaking with Mamori, listening to the many rules that Deimon had (not that all of the students abided by them) and generally being excited about her first day. She promised to walk to school tomorrow with Mamori and waved goodbye to the older girl, fully knowing that inside her house were piles and piles of recruitment fliers and a voice message that played continuously. This would be interesting to explain to her parents; that was for sure.

* * *

Something was wrong with his jogging partner today. Her eyes were slightly large and blank. Her movements weren't as tight or smooth and she was furiously chewing at her bottom lip. His suspicions were confirmed when he suddenly started jogging down a different path than their usual route and she didn't say a word only followed him. She was still able to keep with him which was a relief but something was definitely distracting her.

Usually when he was training his mind narrowed towards a single goal; improving, pushing himself to and beyond his limits. This goal had only become more important after he had been able to catch up to Sena the first time they had met. It was surprising to him that his own thoughts were so split as well.

Clearly the best solution was to discover what was bothering her so that he wouldn't wonder what was bothering her anymore and he could return to his single-minded approach towards his training. So he stopped jogging. It was a sign of how distracted she was that she didn't notice him stop until she nearly ran into him.

"Woah!" Her feet braked suddenly, nearly causing her to fall over herself. Righting her balance just in time she looked up at him, eyes finally focusing as she realised that he had just stopped in the middle of their jog. "Shin-san, why did you stop?"

"Something is bothering you." His teammates may at times get exasperated with his rather straightforward approach but he found that with Sena this way worked best. She flushed and looked down at the floor. He would never understand her apparent fascination with the ground. She seemed to stare at it a lot and clearly there must be something worth looking at. He had tried it once but only found himself getting bored and annoying the various people he walked into.

She didn't deny it but didn't speak either. He simply crossed his arms and waited for her to respond.

"I-I." She let out a breath a frown crossing her face, she didn't look at angry at him though. "It's my first day of high school tomorrow. I-I'm just a little nervous that's all." Her face went blank for a second before her eyes widened once again. "I-I'm very sorry if I was disturbing Shin-san. I didn't think that you'd notice. I guess I'm not good at hiding my feelings. I'm really bad at it, my kaa-chan says my face is like an open book. I guess I'm just not used to people taking notice of me. I didn't know it was bothering you. I'm really sorry!..."

He waited until she had run out of words before speaking.

"Are you going to join the American football team?"

"Of course I am." Confident. 100% sure in the answer. The slight worry he'd had of her joining some other sport team disappeared and he nodded.

"You are fit enough to make it past any trials the team sets before you. You lack game experience but with your speed you should at least get one or two games to play in." For an odd reason her lip twitched at that. "You will definitely make the team."

Silence descended on the pair once again. It was her turn to answer now so he just waited for her to speak. Her shoulders dropped a little bit and her eyes seemed to sharpen up. That smile of hers appeared again.

"Thank you Shin-san. I'm sorry for worrying you." He only nodded and the two started jogging again, both in a better mood. He still didn't know which school she was going to, only confident that one day he would be able to face her on the field. He didn't realise how soon that day would be.

* * *

Sena tied the bow around her neck, the final touch on the Deimon uniform and stared at herself in the mirror. Wow, she really did look tiny in it. Mamori had insisted on getting her one that was a size too big for her. After her previous problems with the middle school one she had readily agreed but she looked so small in it. She may as well paint 'easy target for bullies' on her forehead. Her new satchel was packed with everything she would need and she felt a lot more relaxed after her jog this morning.

Sena wasn't used to anyone other than Mamori and her parents asking about her so she had been a little thrown by Shin's concern. Still it had been a timely reminder that not all change was bad, her friendship with Shin and her pen-friendship with Marco were both signs that this was going to be an enjoyable experience. That her life really was going to become better, less lonely.

It still felt like she was about to jump off a cliff with a blindfold on.

Pausing to grab her new phone she hurried downstairs to meet Mamori. She wasn't going to bother looking at the contact list, it would be filling up soon enough…she hoped. She was debating whether or not to send Marco her new phone number when Mamori knocked on the door and the two girls started walking towards their school.

"Wow, you sure look happy Sena. Maybe it won't be as terrifying as you think."

"Hehe, yeah. I feel a lot better just knowing I've gotten in." She was startled to feel hands near her neck and saw Mamori redoing the bow.

"Here let me just tighten this." So maybe her attempts at lessening Mamori's protective streak hadn't been as effective as she'd hoped.

"Sena, make sure you make some good friends in your year. I can't be everywhere."

"I-I'll try Mamori-neechan. Hopefully I can make better friends than those bullies in middle school." It was the first time that Mamori had ever heard her refer to her 'friends' as bullies and a big smile crossed her face.

"That's right; those thugs in middle school only used you as a gopher. This is a brand new start for you." The two girls were soon in sight range of Deimon high school's entrance, where members for the numerous clubs were advertising. Sena smiled.

"M-Maybe I'll join a club then." If Mamori was surprised at this she hid it well and only nodded.

"That's it, you need to be more assertive and joining a club is a step in the right direction." She stopped and turned to Sena with a very serious expression. "Ah! There is one person you must avoid. His name is Hiruma and he is a demonic human being." She leant in conspiringly and spoke in a whisper. "Once he sets his sights on you he'll suck you dry to the bone before he's through." And with that final piece of advice Mamori gave her a hug, wished her good luck and headed off towards her other friends. Sena stared off after her.

"Hiruma-san." She said, forgetting the effect that name had on the students of Deimon. Panic erupted around her and the students started to run away screaming.

"Wh-Wh-Where is he? Where? Where? Where's Hiruma?"

"Nooooooooooo!"

"Please don't show everyone that love letter I wrote!"

Deciding it was time to leave she made a hasty exit. If she hadn't felt so charged she would have found the reactions a little amusing. She walked down the entrance taking note of the many different stands advertising. There were lots of them but she couldn't see-

"Mukyaa! Baseball club here I come!" All she could do was blink as a familiar face ran straight past her, heading for a stand with Deimon Baseball printed above it. She stared after him. Wow, apparently it was possible to feel déjà vu from the back of someone's head. Then again that spiky hairstyle was pretty distinctive.

Watching Monta eagerly sign up for baseball try outs was a sharp reminder that he would need to be convinced to join. He didn't love American Football yet, he didn't have the dream to be the number one receiver yet. Maybe she should talk to him a little earlier than planned. First of all she wanted to be assured of her place on the Devil Bats, and then she could figure out what to do about the others. A decent receiver might make the game against Oujou a little less spirit crushing.

Still, she couldn't see Hiruma or Kurita anywhere. Surely at an event like this they would be present, yet they weren't here. She wandered around with a confused look on her face, searching for any sign of the duo, who weren't exactly easy to overlook. Maybe she'd missed them.

Lost in her thoughts she wasn't exactly aware of her surroundings, at least not until she banged into a wall and landed on the floor.

"Oww!" Her nose stung and she just knew there would be a bruise on her face tomorrow. She really disliked pain. Well her high school career was off to a gleaming start.

"Are you Ok miss?" A voice sounded from above her. She grabbed her nose and forced herself to look up.

"P-Please don't worry. I'm-" She found herself looking up into the face of the third founding member of the Devil Bats. Gen Takekura AKA Musashi the '60-yard Magnum. "absolutely fine." The ex-student offered her a hand which she took gladly and soon found herself in a standing position once again. Why was she always embarrassing herself like this? "Thank you."

"You looked a little lost." He really didn't sound 17 years old.

"Y-Yeah, I-I was looking for a club but couldn't see it at the st-stands a-at the front." Her stutter really had come on in leaps and bounds since the dream. He looked down at her oddly. Yeah bumping into walls was not a great solution to her problem was it?

"Which club? I've been doing some work all morning and I've seen where most of them are." A little confused but nonetheless grateful she offered him a smile.

"Ummm, do you know where the American Football club is?"

Those were the magic words. Magic words that apparently had the power to turn Musashi to stone. Doing her best to act the ignorant student she inwardly apologized to him for it. She knew that he wanted to play again, no matter what he said to the contrary.

"That club." He let out a sigh but this time when he looked at her there was a pleased glint in his eye, and maybe, just maybe a slight twist to his mouth that could be called a smile. "I think they're having a talk with the headmaster at the moment but if you want to join, their clubhouse is around the back of the school, just a small building near the training fields. You can't miss it. You're better off going at lunch or something." Relieved that she hadn't apparently offended him she gave a quick bow.

"Thank you M-…Mister." With that she turned to go. Leaving one former kicker staring after her wondering how his two old teammates would react to this girl asking for join. She didn't look like the type to play a sport as aggressive as American Football but maybe she wanted to be a manger or something. Hiruma would certainly find a use for her. At least this year the Devil Bats would be back to having three members again.

Sena was in class when the text came:

**If anyone tries to make you their gopher say you'll rock-paper-scissors them for it!**

She bit back a rueful grin, remembering how well that had worked for _him_. Speaking of which a certain trio had just walked into her classroom, looking mean, intimidating and scary. Sadly, this effect was completely lost on her and a small section of her brain just wanted to give them a hug. These were the linemen who had protected _him_ with all they had, the ones who opened the path to victory, they were good players (Jumonji especially) and they had learnt to love the sport that had turned them from delinquents to heroes.

At the moment though they were just three bullies looking for another victim. With all due respect to them she wasn't about to be a gopher again, from the considering glances they were giving her she had a feeling she should leave the room quickly at lunch and run straight for the clubhouse.

The morning passed agonizingly slowly. Each class consisted of the same introductions, the same initial speeches, the same eyes dismissing her as nothing more than a quiet, shy, mousy little girl. She was just about ready to burst when the bell rang and she sprinted for the door before her former/future tormentors could reach her.

It was time to join.

Her satchel clutched to her side with sweaty palms she made sure, confident (well confident for her) steps towards the slightly run-down shed waiting for her behind the school building. She approached the door, her heart pumping, throat dry and with damp hands. All the pent-up emotions from the last few days seemed to merge into one at this point. There was no making sense of it, she could only act now. She could choose to leap or to stay safe on the ground.

She would choose to fly. Her eyes closed. Breath inhaled. Her fist moved up.

Knock. Knock.

…

Knock.

…

One eye opened. The door was still shut.

What?

Both eyes opened and she stood a little awkwardly outside the apparently empty shed. What on earth was this? Where were they?

Wait a second. In _his_ world hadn't Hiruma been at a shop or something and Kurita had arrived later to rescue _him_. This basically meant that…

"They're not here." Her head dropped low in disappointment and frustration. All that worrying and for what? The two people who were now notorious for their strange recruitment methods weren't there when someone actually wanted to join. Perfect.

Well, she'd just have to wait and see what happened. Seeing a box on one side of the shed she sat down and got out her lunch. No point in going hungry and her breakfast this morning had been rather small due to worry.

About ten minutes later something finally happened, someone arrived, but it wasn't who she hoped it would be. It was the three brothers, dragging a terrified looking first year to the shed.

"Yeah this will be perfect." Jumonji said as Togano kept a firm grip on the poor first years jacket. They opened the door and tossed him in, completely oblivious to Sena sneaking looks at them.

The door shut and Sena started to panic.

'What should I do? I can't let this happen; it's not fair to that boy. I'm the one they're supposed to pick on, not him. I can't just sit here, but I'm no match for them physically. I don't want to fight them either.'

_Shut up and pay attention you fucking shrimp!_

'Huh?' She looked around and was incredibly relieved to see a certain second year linemen walking towards his clubhouse whistling some sort of tune. It would be OK.

Sure enough a minute later she heard the signature cry.

"FUNNURABA!" and sure enough three disgruntled looking bullies were thrown out of the shed. The boy form earlier took his chance and bolted out of the shed. The second that the gentle giant saw what he had done he rushed over.

"Oh no! Are you guys OK?" Knowing what would happen next but still determined to check that what she'd dreamt had been real she watched the three boys bolt away from Kurita as if he were, well, Hiruma.

Kurtia looked so dejected and upset at the scene that Sena decided it was now time for her to step out. Gathering her courage she moved out from behind the shed. Kurita was slumped over so he didn't see her approach until she cleared her throat.

"E-Excuse me." Kurita turned around and he just looked so familiar that the small polite small that she usually used for meeting strangers grew to something bigger and a bit more genuine.

"Yes, can I help you?" Despite his disappointment he was able to smile at her, that was something that _he_ had always respected about Kurita and she had a feeling that she would to.

"I-I was told that this was the American Football club." He straightened to his full height immediately and there was a gleam in his eyes that had been there when he'd seen the three bullies and their victim.

"Yes! Yes! That's us, the Deimon Devil Bats! How can I help you?" She was smiling for real now.

"Would it be possible for me to join?"

**AN: So sorry for the wait! All my stuff has been in boxes from moving back from university and I've been unpacking and finding things and there's lots of stuff for me to do before second year starts just bleugh! But I'm home and settled now and hopefully the updates will be a little less random. First of all WOOHOO 200+ Reviews after 8 chapters I love you guys so much and I'm so glad you like this fic. The poll is now closed and the results are on my profile page so check that out if you want. Huge thanks to my brilliant Beta Reader reader-of-many and I hope you enjoyed this chapter!**

**Reviews:**

**InfiniteWhiplash**: At the moment Romance isn't going to play a huge part in this fic she's still getting to know people and developing as a person, although I may throw in some fluffy moments. As for the end result of the 'harem' I really don't know how it's going to end. I can tell you that it's not going to be a smooth and easy ride; 5 football playing men are not going to calmly discuss things between themselves and there will be jealousy and anger.

**Little Lady Otaku: **Riku, Riku, Riku…..hmmm I'm not sure exactly how I'm going to fit him in but he is one of my favourite characters so hopefully sooner rather than later.

**P.S: Still listening to thoughts on Musashi's return and would you guys want me to write a one-shot for the losing guyXSena on the poll?**


	10. The First Day Part 2

**Disclaimer: The Eyeshield 21 manga and anime series do not belong to me.**

Chapter 10: First Day – Part Two

It would be difficult to describe the level of elation that one Ryoukan Kurita felt the moment that Sena Kobayakawa asked to join the Deimon Devil Bats A.K.A. the American Football team of Deimon High School. The team currently viewed as one of the worst teams in all of Tokyo, and that was only by those who actually knew about them. The team that was pitied or mocked because of its lack of players and its stubbornness to, well, not die. The team that Sena wanted to join and play for with all of her heart, it was _his_ team and she wanted it to be hers too.

Looking back on it later Kurita would laugh and look a little embarrassed. What could he say? The worry and stress caused by Musashi leaving, the burning desire to make it to the Christmas Bowl, and the burden of the knowledge that his two friends could have made it into Shinryuji if he hadn't been so stupid. All of it exploded in one huge outpouring of joy at the possibility of another teammate, another player contributing to the dream of the Christmas Bowl and in moments of such extreme joy Kurita tended to forget his rather impressive, and destructive, strength. A fact that both Hiruma and Musashi could testify to; there was a reason the Devil Bats needed new equipment more often than all the other clubs put together.

Before he could register that the student asking to join was a small, delicate 15 year old girl he was already lunging across to grab her in a hug, and to stop her from running away in case he scared her away. Hiruma would never forgive him if that happened…well he probably would but only after some sort of punishment game and blackmailing the girl to join.

Luckily he still had enough self-control to not break the girl in half and she would at worst need a couple of minutes to breath before she was ready to talk. At the moment though all Kurita cared about was being happy and recruiting the girl as quickly as possible, Hiruma had apparently been right about their more unorthodox methods of recruiting. He recognised her as one of their targets from yesterday.

"That would be amazing! O-Of course you can join!" He swung her around a couple more times for good measure, making Sena feel very dizzy at the same time, before half-carrying half-dragging her inside the clubhouse and sitting her down on a chair. Quickly spotting the mess on the table he swept it onto the floor without a second thought.

"Please don't mind the mess! Sit down here." The thought of refreshments entered his mind and he moved, with impressive agility, to the kettle and tea-pot. He somehow managed to do this whilst simultaneously placing two pieces of his favourite cake on the table for himself and his new (prospective) teammate to enjoy. This was most definitely a time for cake.

"Would you like some tea? Or how about some coffee? Or if you're not in the mood for hot drinks I'm sure I could find you some water. In fact Hiruma should be back soon from the store with some snacks soon." At this point he was actually able to focus on the rather bemused looking student on the other side of the table.

The girl student sitting on the other side of the table who was now smiling at him despite his rather terrifying explosion of joy.

"Tea would be nice. Thank you senpai." Putting aside any questions for later he beamed back at her and began to fill the kettle. The task at hand finally allowing his frantic mind time to slow down, and really think about what had happened. He was nowhere near as smart as Hiruma, and he had yet to meet someone who actually was, but he wasn't a complete idiot either. Glancing at the rather petite girl waiting patiently for her drink he managed to suppress a vague frown.

There was a very good reason why not many girls played American football; it was a highly physical sport where injuries such as broken bones where common. Girls usually did not have the strong body type that the sport required. This girl in particular looked like one solid tackle would take her down for good. There was no way she could be a lineman, the Devil Bats had a quarterback, perhaps a kicker or a receiver, but again both held the risk of being tackled, most positions did. Maybe a running back? She was probably here to apply for the job of manager.

Whatever position she had come to apply for didn't really matter to Kurita, he was just pleased that she wanted to join. He felt a slight concern that perhaps Hiruma would say no, if there was no real obvious position for her but deep down he knew that Hiruma would just be glad to have a third member no matter what their abilities were.

He turned back to the table with two steaming cups of tea and a basket of sugar. The smile on his face wasn't the beam it had been outside but it still nearly glowed with cheerfulness and no-one could mistake the slight skip in his step for anything other than happiness.

* * *

Sena watched her new (former?) senpai sit down in front of her a smile growing on her face. Kurita-san just looked so pleased and the older teens grin was infectious. She still felt moderately anxious, especially about the inevitable return of the blonde captain, but the lineman had a way of making her feel relaxed and she felt some of the tension drain out of her.

"How many sugars would you like?"

"Just one please." She said as he poured nearly the entire basket into his own drink. How his teeth looked as white as they did she had no idea. Taking a small bite of her cake she focused her attention on the boy in front of her; who was now humming a tune as he stirred his sugar into his drink. Deciding to wait until he began talking she had a quick look round the clubhouse. Wow, it was a lot messier than she 'remembered'.

There were unpacked boxes on the floor, football shirts hanging from the ceiling, the floor was barely visible and she made a determined effort not to look at the unnamed blob staining the ceiling. This was the pre-Mamori clubhouse and she really couldn't wait for her big-sister figure to arrive to make the room liveable. A part of her was beginning to panic at the lack of changing space.

It hadn't been a problem for _him_ because he was a guy just like the rest of them; they had usually just changed together. Sena furiously pushed down on those memories; that was not the image she needed in her head right now. She wouldn't be able to do that and-

"So what's your name?" The bright voice cut off her train of thoughts and she snapped back to the present, there would be plenty of time to worry about the future later. Besides she had been doing too much of that lately.

"My name is Sena Kobayakawa, I'm a new student at Deimon." The friendly giant gave her a pleased nod, as if she had answered an incredibly difficult question.

"Nice to meet you Sena-chan. My name is Ryoukan Kurita, and I'm one of the founding members of the Devil Bats."

Feigning confusion, though with her terrible acting skills it probably looked like she was in a severe amount of pain, she said "Devil Bats? Is that the name of the team then?"

"Yep, we only started a year ago but it's been our dream to get to the Christmas Bowl." He sat up a little straighter and clenched his fist. "The ultimate battlefield for war, someday I want to stand in that stadium. We will definitely clash heads with our opponents! Just thinking about it gets me fired up!"

It was really inspiring to see Kurita speak like that, to see the strength of his dream. She felt her own back straighten in response; yes someday all the Devil Bats would stand in Tokyo stadium. A large sigh caught her attention and she saw Kurita slumped over the desk.

"Though at the rate we're moving the Christmas Bowl is likely to stay just a dream." He looked really forlorn and she felt her heart twinge.

"I-Is the team having trouble then?" Kurita stood up and pushed a video into the TV set.

"Here's a clip of last year's game against the White Knights." She already knew that this wasn't going to be pretty.

Sure enough after 5 minutes of truly awful playing and two of the players being carried off Sena was sure that her skin was a shade paler than what was healthy.

"W-Wow. T-That was r-really….um." She really had no idea how to finish that sentence without making Kurita feel worse so she quickly changed the subject. "So is there a spot for me on the team?" Although most people would wonder why she wanted to join after watching the complete annihilation of said team, Kurita only beamed and began to nod furiously.

"Of course you can! At the moment there are only two full time players; me and Hiruma. I'm a lineman and Hiruma is the quarterback. Oh and he's also the captain." Sena desperately tried to ignore the rising fear and instead focused on Kurita's smile.

"Great, so the running back position is free then." That seemed to throw the boy for a loop.

"You, actually want to play?" She gave a hesitant nod, unsure as to why he was looking at her like that. "Hmm, I thought you wanted to be the manager but," the big smile was back again, "anyone who wants to play is welcome to join."

She let her shoulders drop in relief; she'd forgotten that most of the girls in American football were either cheerleaders or managers. Karin was a major exception and now so was she.

"I know that girls don't usually play American Football and that I'm not very strong but," she looked up to meet his gaze squarely, she had not trained for so long to not set foot on the field "I really want to play."

"Then you can play!" He had seen the resolve in her eyes, that desire to step onto the pitch and do battle with other teams, to prove that she was the best. "Now, do you have any experience in American Football?" A slight pause. "It's alright if you don't the rules are fairly simple to pick up."

"No, it's kind of an odd situation. I only really got into American Football towards the end of middle school. I don't think we even had a team so I don't have any game experience at all." 'Except in my dreams/memories.' "Instead I learnt the rules and positions and I worked on my speed." At this she had to let a pleased smile show on her face. "I may not be strong or smart but my weapon is my speed."

At this point Kurita looked like he was about to burst. A running-back, a way for them to score touchdowns, and she looked fairly confident when she spoke about her skill, she must be fast; probably under the 5 second barrier!

"That's great! Hiruma does the tactics, I supply the strength and now we have speed. We might actually have a chance this year!" Sena only gave a little nod, they would need the others before they had a chance at the Christmas Bowl.

"If this Hiruma person is the captain, don't I have to wait for him to say it's OK for me to join?"

"I'm sure he'll let you join. He's as eager for new members as I am. A thought struck Kurita as he looked over the innocent, small, fragile girl who would eventually meet Hiruma. What would his friend do to such a person with wide trusting brown eyes?

Sena could only blink as Kurita shivered and looked at her with a rather nervous grin. "Is something wrong Kurita-san?"

"A-Ah, w-well you see. T-The other member, H-Hiruma is a bit….umm-."

The last words were abruptly cut off as the door to the clubhouse slammed open.

Speak of the devil and he shall appear.

Sharp green eyes took in everything within moments and Sena felt her whole body freeze when they landed on her. Seeing that gaze in a dream, blurred and muggy through a haze of sleep, had in no way prepared her for the reality of it. Forcing herself to breathe she managed a weak smile that likely made her look very ill.

Seeing his friends dangerous gaze land on their newest member Kurita quickly stood up to divert the blonde's attention.

"H-Hiruma, you're back earlier than I thought." Kurita had hoped to prepare Sena before this meeting but it looked like that was now out of the question. It didn't help that the girl looked like she was about to bolt.

"Not all of us walk at your fucking slow speed fatty." His gaze still hadn't moved from Sena. "What's the fucking girl here for?"

"She-" At this point Sena was able to snap herself out of her panic and she interrupted Kurita.

"I want to be the Devil Bats new running back." Silence fell in the room and if she hadn't been looking she would have missed the slight widening of her future captain's eyes. Idly, she wondered what he was thinking; was he surprised, relieved, annoyed, perhaps disappointed? She really couldn't tell. All she had was the confidence that she could follow his orders and meet his expectations. That green gaze sharpened and she braced herself for whatever would happen next.

"Running back eh? How fast can you run shrimp?" He was doubtful, she could see that, but he was also desperate and in no position to refuse a new member. Still it annoyed her in an odd way, that doubt. In her dreams he had never or very rarely doubted _him_, then again in that world Hiruma had brought _him_ into the team himself. In her world he had no idea of her speed. Before she could fully realize what she was saying the words were out of her mouth.

"Fast enough." Green eyes clashed with brown.

"Tch, we'll see shrimp." He turned to Kurita. "Fatty, go outside and mark out the forty yard dash. I want to see this speed of yours." Kurita nodded and grabbed a couple of cones before heading outside.

A slight pause, another stare.

"The uniforms are in that box. Change in to one that fucking fits and head outside. Then we'll see if you can make it as a running back." With that he turned back, without sparing her a glance and walked outside. The door shut and Sena let out a breath.

Well, that had been….terrifying, fear-inducing, heart-stopping…interesting. He hadn't been threatening, well not nearly as much as he could have been, he had been uncertain. As she started to dig through the uniforms that had a questionable state of cleanliness she felt her resolve harden once more; this was her chance and she wasn't going to waste it.

Small fingers closed around the least baggy of the shirts and the grin on her mouth could have rivalled Kurita's earlier beam. Printed in white on red the number 21 stared back at her.

* * *

Hiruma watched as the fatty hurried to set up the forty yards. He was puffing a little bit but it was hard to tell from that stupid fucking grin on his face. He was really happy; fucking thrilled over that pipsqueak sitting in their clubhouse. The happiness surrounding the fatass was making his skin itch and he felt the need to make someone cry. His fingers twitched for his Devil's Handbook but he resisted. A sharp toothed smirk appeared when he saw how large it had gotten; some of these new students, soon to be slaves, had an awful lot of secrets. Obviously it was far from complete, he'd only had one day to gather new info, but he'd already uncovered some decent blackmail. For example there was a trio of three bullies who had an unfortunate photo lurking in their past; said photo had now been copied, saved onto his laptop and a print pasted in his threat book. Some of the guys this year were complete perverts and he could easily find enough people to 'volunteer' for a game. He scowled and looked up at the sky.

It was too sunny today.

That wimpy looking girl.

If she had asked for any other position he would have laughed in her face. He should have laughed in her face. A girl that size? She'd be destroyed in a matter of seconds. Did she really have any clue as to what she was getting into? But that fucking look. That look she'd had when he'd asked about her speed. He didn't think that she even knew she'd shown it. Belief. A belief that she could run, that she could survive and prosper in this game.

Belief meant absolutely nothing to him. He dealt with plans, facts, statistics and tricks, belief had no hold over him. Yet there was something keeping him here with the fatty in Deimon and it sure as hell wasn't the facts. Pride maybe? No, that wasn't it. Whatever it was, it allowed the shrimp a chance and now he'd just have to watch.

"Hey Hiruma." The fatty was done then. "How fast do you think she'll run?" He stuck a piece of gum in his mouth.

"How the hell should I know. I've never seen her run before. If she wants to be a running back though she'll have to beat the 5 second wall." He chewed a couple more times. "What's the shrimps name anyway?" Kurita turned to look at him with wide eyes.

"You mean you don't know." Hiruma felt the tell-tale burn of irritation and his fingers went to the guns that were ever present in his jacket.

"Of course I don't you fucking idiot! It's been one day! There's no way I would have been able to find information on every single fucking new student. I need two or three at least. Now tell me who the fuck she is." His teammate only smiled and looked like a stupid fool again, any true fear of the 'devil captain' had been lost long ago.

"Her name is Sena Kobayakawa. She's one of the students we tried to recruit yesterday remember." Yes he did, and it had apparently paid off then. "She knows about the rules but she'd never played in a game before." So nearly a complete newbie.

"So she found you then." Well wasn't this a day just full of surprises. That voice was one he hadn't heard in a while. He knew it though, as well as he did the fatty's.

"What are you doing here old man?" He glanced back. Huh, the builder outfit made him look even more like an old man than usual.

"M-Musashi!" If the fatty got any happier he was being used as target practice again.

"Just checking to see if that girl got here in time. I saw her wandering around the stalls at the front, she was looking for the American Football club so I pointed her over here."

"Are you sure she wasn't just scared away by the sight of an old man hanging round a high school? Little creepy without the uniform." The kicker only shook his head, still as calm as ever it would seem.

"You were the one who told Sena-chan to come here?" He looked back over to the clubhouse, she should be coming out soon. No, he was most definitely not hopeful about her speed. If she wasn't as fast as they needed she might be able to make a decent receiver with enough training or maybe she'd decide it was too rough for her and become the manager. Whichever way it meant another full time member on the team which always made things a little less impossible.

If she could run faster than 5 seconds…

"There she is." Sure enough the door opened to reveal said new member. Fucking hell she was tiny. She barely came up to his shoulders, her eyes looked huge in her head and her arms were tiny. He dismissed any unnecessary factors and simply focused on the body, it wasn't terribly impressive until his eyes dropped lower…to her legs.

One eyebrow quirked up.

They were…decent. Keeping his face in his signature smirk he walked over to the end cone.

"Alright shrimp. You run this in under 5 seconds you can be the Devil Bats running back. Fatty, you do the timing." Those brown eyes hardened and she nodded. The timer was handed over. Silence fell on the training field. The old man was still here, watching along with the fatty.

She got into a start position, forty yards away from him.

"Ready…Set…"

Rocket launcher time.

The explosion shook the ground, the smoke filled the sky, students in the buildings either cowered in fear (those who knew of him) or looked curiously out of the windows (those who would learn of him). As for the shrimp?

She ran.

He saw the first few steps and then…she was passing him in a blur of wind.

Slowly his eyes turned right, she was standing a couple of meters beyond the cone, breathing a little heavier than before but still standing, still able to run. What wa-

"I-I don't believe it." That was the old man's voice, and it sounded shaky. The fatty seemed only to be making squeaks. "Hiruma you need to see this." His hands caught the small piece of equipment and brought the screen up to his eyes.

4.2 seconds.

A top speed for the NFL players.

A new High school record – curre- former holder Seijuro Shin linebacker for the White Knights : 4.4 seconds.

Golden Legs.

Like lightning they had appeared and a chance had been made.

Youichi Hiruma looked up to the sky.

"YA HA!"

* * *

Sena felt oddly detached as she watched the scene in front of her. Kurita was speechless. Musashi was very nearly gawking at her, and Hiruma was cackling at the sky. Her legs were tingling, she'd wanted to run further but it wasn't game time yet. Not just yet.

"S-Sena-chan." Kurita had recovered. "That was amazing!"

"That was pretty spectacular." Musashi was smiling at her. She felt something warm erupt inside her at their faces. She'd never had anyone look at her like that. Not even Mamori. They were…awestruck. They were awed by her, no-one had ever been awed by her before. She had finally done something right.

"With this." They all stopped to turn and look at Hiruma. He was grinning now, the timer gripped tightly in his hand. "With this we'll win the spring tournament. With this we'll go to the Christmas Bowl."

A lie and she knew it. They needed a permanent receiver, more linemen, a kicker, and a tight end. She kept her mouth shut though because now she could see something on Hiruma's face that hadn't been there in the clubhouse. Doubt had been replaced by an emotion that wasn't quite hope or belief, not quite confidence either, and it was because he could now see a chance. A proper chance that hadn't been there before. An ace player for the Deimon Devil Bats.

She was that ace.

No pressure right?

"W-When does the tournament start?" There was no way she was letting her first game be as embarrassing as his had been. She was not going to run the wrong way. As for the White Knights…maybe she should speak to Monta before that game.

"The day after tomorrow."

"W-Wait so we've got two days to find a whole team?"

"We've had to do it one day before, remember you fucking fatty."

She let out an unsure giggle as Hiruma started to fire random bullets at Kurita. Two days, and then she could step on to the field.

"You get used to it eventually." Musashi had wandered over to her and was watching the two other players with a fond yet weary look that spoke of the friendship the three of them shared.

"S-So this is pretty normal then."

"Yes." Sena shook her head and then her eyes fell on the clock. Lunch time was nearly over.

"I need to go!" She didn't want to be late for class, somehow Mamori would find out and then she would get the infamous Mamori-disappointed-look. Three pairs of eyes snapped to her but she was already sprinting for the clubhouse. She still didn't know whether she should tell Mamori about her position as a player or not.

She had just managed to pull her shirt on when the door slammed open. Letting out a meep she nearly launched herself into the air.

"W-What are you d-doing Hiruma-san. I was getting changed." The blonde ignored her and walked to the back of the clubhouse.

'I guess I should just be glad he didn't come in earlier.' Having her captain walk in whilst she was getting changed was not something that she had planned for today…or ever.

The rumbling of movement caught her attention and she put her hands up just in time to catch the object which Hiruma had thrown at her.

It was a helmet. With a green tinted eyeshield.

'Mine.'

"I don't want other people knowing about that speed of yours. You'd be hunted be every fucking sports team in Deimon." Yeah, running for her life every day was not how she wanted to start.

"I don't want to play any other sport. I want to play American Football." Was it just her or did Hiruma look a little less evil and a little bit pleased. Must be her imagination.

"Still, during the game you will not be Kobayakawa Sena. Instead you will be known as Eyeshield 21!" She could have said something about the real Eyeshield 21, about Akaba or Yamato, but she found she could only nod.

Her eyes remained glued to the helmet in her hands. It was there. She was finally there. Finally ready to put this on and take to the field. She wasn't as strong as the other Eyeshields, she wasn't as strong as she could be but she was strong enough to wear the helmet. One day she would challenge them and she looked to win.

All the weeks and months of training and she finally had it in her hands. For a millisecond she worried that the universe would collapse in some sort of weird paradox effect. No, she was still there, the helmet in her hands was real, the place she was standing in was real.

"You are the new running back for the Deimon Devil Bats!"

That sounded really good.

The rest of the day seemed to pass by in a blur. Classes went by, the teachers gave the same welcome speeches, there were whispers about a blonde demon amongst the new students and a general buzz about the various clubs and sports that were on offer. Still a little stunned by the whole day Sena didn't see the three shadows following her out of school as the bell went.

She had decided to go to the clubhouse and start re-learning some of the plays. Being told to just run was fine and all but it would definitely come in handy later on. She didn't want Hiruma to shoot at her when he sprung a surprise test on the team.

"Well, well look who we have here." A vague sense of déjà vu came over her as she saw the three future linemen walk towards her. It was rather odd; she was wary of Hiruma though she knew him in a weird way, yet she felt no fear at all towards these three. It was sort of like watching a sibling or cousin trying to act intimidating and completely failing. A part of her knew that she should be afraid, her vs. three bigger, larger boys would not end well if they decided to attack her, but she knew that they were more likely to just threaten her than actually harm her and she knew without a doubt that she could outrun them if it came down to it.

If they wondered why her stance was so relaxed they didn't show it.

"It's one of our new classmates." It was Jumonji speaking, he'd always been the leader. She blinked, not quite sure how to react.

"Quite a cute one too." That was Kuroki, and that did cause a reaction; her cheeks flushed red and she looked at the ground suddenly feeling very uncomfortable. Her appearance was not something that she was confident in, and she really disliked people, especially boys commentating on it. It reminded her of Arashi and some of the other bullies at her middle school.

"Don't scare her now." Enter Togano. They were starting to close in and she felt her legs start to itch.

"She's not the one who should be fucking scared." Was it just her or had things just gotten a lot colder? Caught between relief and worry for the three in front of her she looked back to see her new captain stepping out of the clubhouse; a fairly strong irritation in his eyes and a certain black notebook in his hands.

"Huh?"

"Huh?"

"HUH?!"

There it was.

"Hey, you better just leave us alone. This is between us and her." Oh such a big mistake. One did not just dismiss Hiruma. Hopefully they would survive long enough to make the team.

"Really." Cue aura of darkness and diabolical smile. "I think it is my fucking business when you decide to try and bully one of the members of my team." The three of them were now pissed off and Jumonji even held a fist up at Hiruma.

"Who the hell are you anyway?" The smirk widened, the sharp teeth glinted and Sena saw the three of them falter. They were small fish who had just leapt into a pool with a shark.

"I'm Hiruma, captain of the Deimon Devil Bats. That shouldn't concern you though you can just call me master." He said, the words coming out with a practiced almost bored tone and Sena had to wonder just how many times he'd gone through this routine.

"Why the fuck would we call you that?" Yeah, that anger of theirs was about to disappear in 3…2…1.

"Because if you don't, this little photo," she blushed and looked away from the photo of the three boys that had been taken after one of their wilder nights, "will be blown up and posted around the school for everyone to see. Not to mention the schools website."

The three boys were now standing in a sort of frozen horror and Sena felt like wincing for them. Oh well, at least it would turn out all right in the end. The book snapped shut and the grin became a shade more dangerous.

"That was a warning. If any of you three idiots try to come after anyone on my team again you'll want to transfer out of Deimon immediately. Not that it would really spare you." That seemed to be enough for the brothers and they bolted out of the school. They really could run quite fast. Suddenly realising that she was now alone with Hiruma Sena felt some of her original fear come back. Still, she had come back for a reason.

"U-umm, H-Hiruma-san?" He turned towards her. "Would it be possible for me to have a look at the play book?" She asked. It was common knowledge that most teams had a play book so hopefully she wouldn't look too weird by asking for it. Like before, she felt his gaze on her; it was very disconcerting. He didn't say anything just stared so she gathered her courage and spoke again. "It's just that w-when we get other m-members it'll be more difficult t-to get it f-for myself and I want t-to be really prepared for our future games."

For a moment she thought he was going to refuse.

"Wait here." He said in a voice that sounded oddly exasperated. She looked up to see him disappear back into the clubhouse only to reappear a couple of moments later with a thick book. She held out her hands and grasped the edges when it was placed there.

"We won't be able to use most of these fucking things until we get some more team members, decent ones at that." She nodded. "Still there are a couple of running-back ones that you might just be able to pull off." A backhanded compliment but she would take it. Perhaps it was because she wasn't being forced to join this time but the meeting with Hiruma hadn't been quite as unpleasant. No guns had been pointed at her and Cerberus remained safely locked away; always a plus.

"Thank you Hiruma-san." She managed an odd bow and started to walk out of school. That green gaze following her until she went through the gates. In the middle of the training field the gears in the mind of Deimon's devil started to turn.

**AN: I am so sorry for the lateness of this. I've had a couple of concerned messages about it and I must reassure you all that this story will continue. My laptop hates me it has been acting up all month and I've just recently got back my internet. I've also been really busy with preparations for my trip to Iceland which is coming up soon and life in general has just gotten a lot busier than I'd thought it would be. **

**a)THANK YOU GUYS FOR YOUR SUPPORT! Nearly each review has made my smile and I always read them whilst I'm writing to inspire me. It has astounded me and I only hope this chapter was worth the wait. I don't know how I feel about it so it may be redone at one point.**

**b)I'm not sure when my next update will be, I'm going on a study trip to Iceland on August 22nd and I've been preparing for that so we'll have to wait and see.**

**c)For anyone who didn't know Hiruma won the poll but I will most likely write a one-shot about Riku.**

**d)Still want to hear your thoughts on Musashi's return.**

**e)I had a couple of negative reviews from the same person, at least I think it was, they were an anonymous reviewer and they got angrier each time the last one was this:**

**There's slow and there's YOUR slow..YOU don't have anything going for you at all..Without a TOUCH of romance of any kind, then the story might as well DIE!**

**If you don't like my story then you don't have to read it I welcome advice to help improve my work not this. Obviously I have no idea who it is the review are just signed guest but if you have such an issue with my story than please just stop reading it and move onto something else. I really don't want to shut of anonymous reviews because of this.**

**Reviews:**

**Sakina-chan: **The poll was between Hiruma and Riku. Hiruma won but don't worry Shin is still going to have his share of romance. Though like I've said before the romance is second to the actual time travel bit.

**Guest:** There will be some fluffy moments just not as many as a strictly romance fic I want to make it as realistic as possible…though I do enjoy fluffy moments too.

**Guest: **The possible pairings for Sena are; Kakei, Hiruma, Shin, Yamato, and Marco.

**Little Lady Otaku: **I love Kakei and would be thrilled to include him early but at the moment I just don't know. We'll all have to see how that goes.

**Ecstaticme97: **I have my own plans for Akaba *Evil laugh*

**Lamby: **I'm sorry if I missed your birthday but I hope this was worth the wait.


	11. Gather a Team!

Disclaimer:** The Eyeshield 21 manga and anime series do not belong to me.**

Chapter 11: Gather a team!

'I'm the running back for the Deimon Devil Bats.'

'I'm playing as Eyeshield 21 for the Deimon Devil Bats.'

'There are currently only two other members on the team, we don't have a receiver and I've never played a real game before in my life.'

'I feel so happy right now.'

The sunlight rose on an already awake Sena Kobayakawa who was staring at her bedroom ceiling in a kind of dazed wonder. She couldn't believe what she'd done. A small part of her convinced that this was just another dream, albeit much less elaborate, and that she'd wake up again to find that it wasn't real. Luckily the larger part of her mind helpfully told her that the soreness in her legs was real and that she should stop being an idiot and get out of bed. It would be time for her morning jog soon.

Still, even as she rushed to pull on her jogging gear her mind replayed yesterday again and again. It was like something had switched on in her mind; it had started, the path that was hers to walk. All she had to do was-

Knock. Knock.

Hurry downstairs and open the door before her dad did. She really had no idea what the strange tension between the two of them was but it was enough for her to want to avoid leaving the two of them alone in a room. Her dad was up early today, one of his colleagues had called in sick and he had to go in and cover for them.

Her dad was literally just touching the doorknob when she came running down the stairs.

"I've got it!" She opened the door and gave Shin a small smile. "One minute, I just need to get my shoes on." With that she bolted for her trainers and began hastily tying them up. Her dad just blinked, his mind still a little sluggish that early in the morning and with no coffee helping him function he was just a little too tired to care that his precious daughter was about to go jogging with the suspicious-looking teen. He had just processed the fact that Sena was there when he heard:

"Bye dad! We'll be back soon." The door shut and footsteps began walking away from the house.

"….Bye Sena." He really needed some coffee, right now.

* * *

Meanwhile, Shin was indulging in his usual morning pastime; watching his partner and rival while she was jogging. Given that he had no clue about social interaction or behaviour it never occurred to the stoic boy that this was a habit many would find a little creepy. If asked, though it was unlikely that anyone would, Shin would say that it was a perfectly reasonable thing to do. He wanted to see his rival grow and measure it against his own (she was a lot stronger now, and would make a much tougher opponent on the field), she was a unique person that interested him (at times it was almost like she knew him, she knew about his lack of social knowledge and just accepted it, he'd never met anyone else like the small brunette) and he wanted to be sure that she was safe (he still hadn't forgotten the ring of bruises around her arm when she'd come back from her trip, even thinking about it caused a slow burning somewhere in the region of his stomach). So Shin had no feelings of guilt or shame as he kept staring at his partner from the corner of his eye.

Of course part of his attention was on the road ahead, his training schedule would be seriously affected if he ran into a lamppost or something and had to go to hospital.

Today she was extraordinarily happy, much more so than usual. The smile which was usually small or replaced by panic, and a lack of confidence, was full on her face. Her head was held up and her posture straight. Brown eyes weren't zigzagging right and left like they usually did and everything about her just seemed more. More what he didn't know, just that she was more than what she had been. He had a vague idea about what had caused the change.

"So, the team let you on then?" They would be fools if they hadn't. He knew without a doubt that had she gone to Ojo the coach would have just dragged her straight over to practice to stop any other clubs from stealing her. Her eyes locked on his and, to his surprise, instead of stuttering out a pleased yes and talking about how she relieved she felt she lifted her head even higher and simply said:

"Yes." Masking his surprise he managed to nod and let silence fall between them.

The silence lasted all of five seconds before:

"I-I'm so nervous! I m-mean what if I can't r-run a-as fast as they want m-me to? Or what i-if I do something s-stupid like r-run towards the o-other goal? T-they're g-going to be relying on me and i-if I can't do it…what if they chuck me off the team? I mean they'd have no u-use for s-someone who c-can't run as fast as they want. What good is a running back who can't run? W-What happens if I drop the ball? I'm really bad at throwing and that's a p-pretty important skill in American Football….!"

Shin waited patiently for the outpouring of worry and what if's to end before he addressed her. After knowing her for so long he had come to realise that with Sena it was best to just let her work out her worries in one massive outpouring of panic and then she would be quiet for the rest of the conversation. This one should be done right about…

"…and what i-if I hurt s-somebody?" It was a struggle even for Shin to not show how amused he was at the idea of Sena hurting anyone. The girl would rather cut off her own arm than cause pain. If she ever managed to hurt someone by accident, he mentally winced at the amount of apologies she would give and the strength of the guilt she would feel. Realising that she had stopped and was now staring up at him he gave himself a few seconds to think over what to say.

Despite his attempt to focus he couldn't help but feel a little a little thrown by her gaze. He knew that as a friend she respected his opinion as much as he respected hers, but to see her turning to him for comfort. It felt just as surreal as it did yesterday when she confided her worries about making the team to him. Surely she must have other friends, better at giving comfort and advice then him. She must have, right? Putting that thought aside he decided to allow himself to be pleased that she trusted him and also feel the responsibility of being a confidante settle on his shoulders.

"Being a little nervous is fine, it is actually a good thing. If you are completely confident about the match you do not believe that you can lose, and that can be a dangerous mistake. However, you are a good runner, your skills are not to be taken lightly and you have definitely grown stronger since we first met." A pause to let her soak up the information. Before she could protest he carried on. "You must have some knowledge about rules and positions simply from liking the game and applying for a specific position. Any lack in that area can easily be remedied by the coach or other members of the team. If you are worried about running the wrong way, at the beginning of the game simply double check which goal is yours. Throwing isn't very important for a running back though any weakness should be remedied. If you drop the ball pick it up again before the other team gets it. A running back who can't run is no good."

A slightly longer pause this time.

"A running back who can't run is no good, but you can run and you are fast enough for any high school team. No team will simply rely on one player, even the ace can't win a game on their own if the team is poor or isn't supportive. Responsibility is on every member of the team from the captain to the manager. Aces may have more responsibility than the others; they carry the hope of their team-mates and help push the team onward."

Throughout his speech they had been jogging. The rhythmic noise of their footsteps providing a steady beat in the background of the conversation. When he fell silent, that was the only noise between them.

Sena was now inside her head. He could see that from the slightly vacant stare and the way her jogging became more robotic and automated. He would let her think in peace. He had his own thoughts to review.

He couldn't remember the last time he'd spoken so much. He'd never been talkative as a child and when people found out that he didn't like to talk they left him alone, his team being a noticeable exception. Why did he feel the need to speak around her then? She was the complete opposite to him; she wore her emotions on her face, she babbled when she nervous and she had a stutter. Yet they hadn't argued, it fit neither of their personalities, and the atmosphere between them was never tense, filled with either comfortable silence or her quiet voice. Oddly he didn't find it uncomfortable to speak with her, maybe slightly awkward but not the same kind of barrier he constantly felt at school.

It was nice.

"H-hey Shin-san." He glanced down. "T-Thank you. I-I know it must be a-annoying, having to re-assure me all the time." She looked hesitant and unsure again. He didn't like that.

"It's not annoying to help a friend." Being straight-forward was really the only way he knew how to be.

This time the smile didn't disappear.

* * *

It did however falter when she stepped into her classroom and three certain friends who were close enough to be called brothers bolted to the other side of the room like she was the harbinger of the apocalypse. Then again, thinking about who they had met yesterday….yeah she didn't really blame them for their reaction.

She didn't want them to be scared of her though. She wanted to be friends with them again? this time? now? She really needed to pick a time frame and stick to it.

Dredging up some courage from wherever it was hiding in her body she approached their corner of the classroom. Telling herself that the terrified looks and horror-filled faces where actually meant for Hiruma and not for her. She was used to being the scared not the scarer, it was an unsettling feeling. Trying to look even less intimidating than she already was, not something she believed possible before, she approached them as if they were a small caged animal.

"Umm H-Hi?" Great her crippling shyness had returned. This would help things along nicely.

Jumonji seemed to snap out of his fear-induced paralyzed state and looked at her like she was an idiot, not surprising considering that she sounded like one.

"What the hell are y-"

"Let's go you fucking shrimp. Urgent team meeting."

That wasn't going to help either. Right on cue the three boys in front of her turned into statues, ones that could apparently sweat bullets. Letting out a sigh, that attempt failed miserably, she turned to leave the room. Hiruma and Kurita were at the doorway, well Hiruma was in the doorway and her larger team-mate was waiting outside, one wearing a nice, joyful smile that seemed to glow with happiness the other looking like he was suppressing the urge to cackle maliciously at her three classmates whilst wearing a grin of pure evil.

"Coming." She knew that the teacher wouldn't mind, not by the look on his face at seeing the devil of Deimon standing in his classroom doorway. In fact she had a feeling that anyone in the room who had been thinking of bullying her for her size would be re-thinking that right now.

"How are you today Sena-chan?" She looked up at Kurita.

"A-A little nervous but I'm really happy that I was able to join you guys." If Kurita looked any happier she was worried that Hiruma would start firing at him, if that twitching blonde eyebrow was any indication.

"I'm really glad that you joined too. Honestly, I was getting a little worried tha-"

"Shut the hell up fucking fatty. Three people do not make a team. We're going to need some more permanent members." Sena had to agree with him there, luckily she knew what would hopefully happen so she continued to smile.

"It would be nice to have some more linemen out there with me, and I know you've been looking for a receiver Hiruma." Hiruma snorted and looked away. "Still I'm sure we'll do better than last year with your help Sena-chan. Your speed is amazing."

"Got that right. It's a weapon that we'll use to crush anyone who stands in our way to the Christmas Bowl." Should she be concerned that she trusted the manically laughing blonde teenager with sharp fangs and pointy ears? No it would be fine, she just needed to ignore the aura of darkness starting to swirl around him.

Sena was about to ask about the meeting, which she already knew about, when a new voice entered the conversation that made her freeze up.

"Sena-chan!" Oh no. Not now. She'd been working on how to tell Mamori and this was so not how she wanted her to find out.

No. An angry looking Mamori with eyes locked on Hiruma and set to kill was not how she wanted this conversation to go. Hiruma now looked bored and Kurita looked worried.

"Hiruma! What are you doing with Sena-chan. I won't have you bullying her." A hand grabbed her arm and she was pulled behind the righteously furious Mamori-neechan.

"Uhh…Mamori-"

"Kekeke, I'm holding a meeting with my fucking team. Last time I checked there wasn't a rule against that." He was enjoying this, she noted. His grin widened at the apparent confusion on Mamori's face.

"A t-team meeting? What are you talking about? Sena's not on the American football team." Seeing that her captain was only going to provoke her further Sena decided it was her turn to step in.

"Actually Mamori-neechan I am." Dead silence in the corridor. Sena forced herself to look up. "I joined t-the team ye-yesterday. Besides, you're always telling me to do things like j-join a club right?"

"But Sena-chan, you don't know what Hiruma is like. He's a demon that will suck the life out of you." Said demon looked amused but she could just about detect a hint of worry in his features. Did he think that Mamori would scare her into quitting?

"Y-you're right in that I-I don't know what Hiruma-san is like. B-But he h-hasn't d-done anything b-bad to me (this time the whole tied up and at gun-point thing had been avoided) and he and K-Kurita-senpai have been n-nice so far. I'd rather make up my o-own mind about them r-rather than trust w-what the g-gossip here says. Besides I-I r-really like A-American Football."

She didn't know who was more surprised at her words; herself, Mamori, Hiruma or Kurita. Mamori stared into her eyes, searching for any hint that her childhood friend might be lying or scared.

'I've grown up a bit Mamori-neechan. I know that I want to do this.' The disciplinary officer turned towards her nemesis a frown prominent on her face.

"If anything happens to her, you'll wish that you'd never set foot in this school." She looked down at Sena, frown exchanged for a softer look. "Can we talk about this a little later Sena-chan?" Sena managed a shaky nod and with a goodbye wave to her and a goodbye glare to Hiruma Mamori walked away. Not quite sure what had happened Sena was dragged out of her stupor by another hand grabbing her arm and pulling.

"Come on you fucking shrimp. Which part of urgent team meeting did you not fucking understand!" Wow, she really was light if she could be dragged so easily.

**In the club house**

"We need eight people to help us out by tomorrow's game. We're going to split up and gather them!"

Sena took a sip of her tea her mind immediately flicking over to a certain track runner, Tetsuo Ishimaru, before her eyes took in the sight of the weapon Hiruma was holding. Was it a bazooka or some sort of rocket launcher? Whatever it was it made her feel nervous and she edged closer towards Kurita.

"Do you usually have to do this before a game?" She asked.

"Yeah, back when Musas-" A glare cut off his words. "When there were three of us we had to recruit temporary members from other clubs. I never managed to get any but the other two did. They were really persuasive."

Persuasive was not the word that sprung to mind when she thought of Hiruma. Intimidation and blackmail were what came into her head.

"Anyway let's do our best to gather eight people Sena-chan." A determined look was on his face and she nodded her agreement. Kurita always made her feel happy; it was like he was surrounded by a giant bubble of calm and joy. She didn't feel so Sena-like around him, she didn't feel the need to babble or shy away. She could just smile.

"Each of us needs to gather three people at least; a spare won't do any harm. I don't care what you do to get them just pull anybody out of the sports teams."

"B-by today right?"

Cue evil grin.

"Of course. The person who gets the least people has to do a penalty game." Pushing away thoughts of what he might do, and reminding herself that he'd only made Kurita carry all the equipment (though if she had to do it she'd be flattened within seconds).

Shaking her head she muttered a yes before leaving the room. She knew where to find at least one member; she'd leave the rest to her captain.

* * *

Hiruma watched as she left the room, his eyes lingering on the closed door for a second before turning to his friend/minion/team-mate. The fatty was attempting to clean up the mugs, an impossibility when you looked at the fucking state of the room (they really needed a manager around here), and still smiling like an imbecile.

"Hey Hiruma." He grunted, mind still spinning around their newest member. "It's really nice to have a third member again don't you think?"

Idiot. They had four members, one of them was just taking a break. It was odd to see the old man yesterday though; he usually avoided the clubhouse like the plague. Said idiot continued.

"Though it is a little odd having a girl player. I hope she doesn't get injured." Now he had a stupid concerned look on his face.

"Don't be stupid. With her legs no-one will be able to touch her let alone harm her." A traitorous voice hissed in the back of his mind.

'You don't know that for sure. Anything can happen in a game. Look at what that monster Shin did last year, and there are other monsters out there too. She's tiny, how easy do you think her bones would break?'

He shook his head and focused on cleaning one of his handguns. Anyone could get hurt; every player knew the risks and played anyway. Besides small did not necessarily mean weak, he'd seen her run yesterday. She'd chosen to run against monsters with her eyes wide open.

As for her being a girl? If any team decided to go easy on her because of that then they deserved to lose. For a moment Shinryuji flashed through his mind and he stifled a snort. That team was so girl-starved it was ridiculous, if they had to play against the nagas maybe the simple fact of her being a girl would be enough to throw them. Not the dreadlocked bastard though.

"I suppose you're right. She is really fast though. I-I mean 4.2 seconds, that's amazing."

"It's more than amazing. It's fucking insane. No 15 year old girl, hell no 15 year old student should be able to reach that speed." Yet she'd made it look easy. Afterwards there hadn't been much sign of strain on her face or body, so she could probably run for longer at that speed if she had to. Did anyone other than him see the potential in Sena Kobayakawa? How could she have gone unnoticed before? He'd never even heard of her before now. His information on her, of which he now had plenty, told him that he should expect someone shy, a girl with no confidence, a stutter and trust issues, who'd suffered at the hands of bullies from a young age and was unbearably clingy to one Mamori Anezaki, her 'neechan' and protector. That was not the Sena Kobayakawa who had asked to join the Devil Bats nor was it the one who told him straight to his face that she was fast enough to be a running back.

Sure, she was still shy and she was still an easy target for bullies, although that problem would be taken care of in the next few days; his team needed to be focused on games not bully issues. She still looked pretty close to the annoying one and he'd heard her stutter a couple of times. Nevertheless she was a lot better than what his report made her out to be. He knew grown men who couldn't meet his gaze and yet she'd met it unflinchingly a few times already. The girl who was now his running back would have done some sports in middle school. So clearly something had changed between middle school and now, something that involved American Football.

To be honest he wasn't too bothered by it at the moment, he had to go blackmail 8 athletes to play tomorrow since he knew that the fatty wouldn't get anyone and he doubted that even the improved shrimp was brave enough to recruit players. Although he knew some of the boys here would say yes because of how 'cute' she was. She'd probably be terrified at the thought. Tch. Bully issues or boy issues he didn't want anything to distract the shrimp before tomorrow.

"Come on fatty. We've got recruiting to do."

* * *

At lunch Sena headed straight for the track team clubroom. Hoping that he was in at this time she slowly opened the door and glanced inside.

He was there.

Letting out a breath of relief she stepped inside. Ishimaru looked up and blinked at her.

"Hello, can I help you?" he asked.

"Actually yes. Y-You s-see I'm S-Sena Kobayakawa and I-I'm a m-member of the A-American F-football team and w-we need s-some more players for a g-game tomorrow. W-Would y-you be w-willing to h-help out?" Now that she knew that she could speak without a stutter it annoyed her that it had returned.

He frowned and gave her an apologetic shrug.

"I'm sorry I really would like to help out but I work part-time as a magazine deliverer and I'm going to be busy tomorrow working." Sena nodded.

"W-Would y-you be able to do it faster i-if I helped you out t-tonight?" He looked surprised at the offer but she was determined to get him on the team (at least part-time).

"Yes, that would help a lot. Meet me after school at the gates about five minutes after school ends and we can split the workload. My name's Tetsuo Ishimaru by the way."

"T-Thanks a lot. I-I'll see you after school then Ishimaru-san." She still had time to eat her lunch so she decided to head for the courtyard. She'd need her energy for running across town tonight.

School ended after a weird day of scared bullies and work. She barely had time to rush to the clubhouse, put a sticker in her column of recruited members and say bye to a very-confused-looking Kurita before running out again to meet Ishimaru-san. She did want to comfort Kurita with the news that they'd have enough members but she also didn't want to be late either.

"I'm here. Sorry if I'm late." He had his bike and magazines there already and took out a map of the route.

"You're not late, so don't worry. Here's a map of my route, I'll give you half of the magazines to deliver and we can meet back here when we're done." He looked over her small form.

"Are you sure you'll be able to do this in time Kobayakawa-san?" She couldn't hold back a small smile at that.

"I'm faster than I look Ishimaru-san." With a parting nod, she took her half of the magazines and headed off on her route.

She knew that she couldn't run the route at light-speed pace. If she did her legs would be screaming at her the morning after and Hiruma would not be impressed if she couldn't run in the actual game. The very thought of what he might do…did not even bear thinking about because there was absolutely no way that she was running it at light speed. Not if she wanted to survive the next day anyway.

'The sooner I start the sooner I can go home.' She started to pick up the pace, not anything too hard or strenuous but faster than her usual jog.

One house. Two houses. Three houses.

New street.

Magazine in mailbox. On the doorstep. One odd one where it apparently went in the dogs bowl.

Systematic and simple. The pile of paper in her arms got smaller and lighter until.

"I'm done!" She smiled and turned to head back to school. She knew that Mamori would be annoyed if she saw what she was doing, accuse Hiruma of turning her into a gopher or something but this was also for her benefit too; she really wanted to play tomorrow. This time she was going to run the right way. She had no excuse not to; Hiruma and Kurita had to expect that she had some knowledge about American Football and running the wrong way would be even more humiliating for her than it was for him.

Ishimaru-san was already back. He looked genuinely surprised.

"Wow, I was worried that I'd given you too many. I was just about to try and find you. You didn't throw them away did you?"

"N-no. I-I would never!" She protested, paling at the thought of doing something so mean.

"I'm joking; you don't seem like the sort of person who would do something like that. You saved me just now, I really should give you half my pay check."

She waved away the offer. "It's fine, but you're OK to play tomorrow right?"

"You bet. American Football is pretty fun to play, besides I owe you one." She smiled and told him the time and place to meet tomorrow, assuring him that they (Kurita) would bring the equipment.

She walked back to the clubhouse and opened the door.

"I-I'm back Kurita-senpai." The friendly giant looked up with a huge grin.

"Sena-chan with the player you found we have enough to play tomorrow!" She managed a half-smile before Kurita, apparently seized with a fit of joy, took her by both hands and began to swing her around the clubroom.

"I'm so happy that we get to play tomorrow!" Sena was too, but she feared that if she opened her mouth whilst being swung at such a speed it wouldn't be pretty. The spinning stopped when the door was shoved open.

"That fucking convenience store! It ran out of sugarless gum. Even flies won't chew stinking sweet gum!" A can was lobbed at her hands and she moved to catch it, not easy in her dizzy state. Her fingers curled around cool metal as she heard Kurita ask if flies even chewed gum. This was her world from now on then?

If Hiruma was shocked at her one sticker he didn't show it, just finished sticking on the remaining ones to his column.

"We did it!" Kurita cheered. Not smart as it prompted an already irate Hiruma to turn around and start kicking him.

"We didn't do it! I'm the one who gathered them all you good for nothing bastard. Never mind. Give me back the cola! I don't have a single drop of fluid to spare for you to drink! Dehydrate and die!"

Sena was sure that the only reason why she had avoided a kicking was that she hadn't joined in with the cheering. Instead she quietly sipped on her cola and looked at the board. As selfish as it sounded she wanted to enjoy her first game without worrying about the others joining so she had decided to put any early recruitment ideas on hold for now. It would be a week before the game with the White Knights so she had time then to think things through.

Right now though she had to focus on the upcoming game; her first real game. It was finally here, she could see bits and pieces of it from her dreams; the wrong cleats, running the wrong way, distracting Shin-sa-….

Shin was going to be there tomorrow to scout with Sakuraba. She nearly choked on her drink. There was no way he wouldn't recognise her running style, no way. He had known that the other-Sena was Eyeshield 21 after just one match whereas she had been seeing him just about every day whilst they went jogging. What on earth would Hiruma and Kurita do when they realised she knew him? What would Hiruma do when he realised that her secret identity wasn't as secret as it should be? Oh no

So maybe running the wrong way wasn't the only thing she had to worry about. She'd make sure to triple check the boxes before handing out cleats this time.

Something tickled the back of her mind, something about the team they were facing and something about them which had made the recruited members very annoyed. What was it? Probably nothing important anyway. She should start heading home soon, she wanted to write to Marco before tomorrow and she wanted to get some sleep before she spent the night stressing about the game.

It would probably be fine. Probably.

**AN: It's finally here! I finally finished it, this chapter was so difficult to write but it's done now. I am so sorry for the wait but my life is finally settling down again, I've gotten used to Iceland and my work schedule is pretty flexible so cross-fingers it won't be such a long wait again. Now there's one thing that I need to say…**

**YOU GUYS ARE AMAZING!**

**Chapter 10, which now has been fully edited and re-posted, has gotten over 70 reviews! This fanfic is the 7****th**** most reviewed English fanfic for Eyeshield 21 and I've enjoyed reading each and every one of them even if it's just a 'please update'. There is no way that I am going to stop writing this no matter how long gaps there may be.**

**I will now be answering reviews by PM if you have a question. Two last things: Elma Avalonia and La Rose de Minuit have been given my permission to translate this story into Indonesian and French so don't worry if you see them, they're not copying me. Finally, this is the last I will say about the pairings; Sena has the potential to end up with Shin, Hiruma, Kakei, Yamato and Marco this doesn't mean that others characters won't flirt or be attracted to her but these guys are the ones who have a real chance. Any romance will be taken slow and steady there teenagers so falling in love isn't going to be a smooth or easy road and there will be rivals.**

**THANK YOU GUYS SO MUCH FOR YOUR SUPPORT. I hope that this was worth the wait.**

**P.S. My amazing Beta reader-of-many says Hi :)**


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